Alpha Phase
by BronzeFalcon16
Summary: Hikaru, a young gamer from Japan and a Beta tester for SAO, enters this new virtual world with five of his friends. Knowing more than any of the other testers, he aids his friends that are new to this genre. But all too quickly, they discover something sinister about this new world. The result is a story of struggle as Hikaru vows to help his inexperienced friends escape.
1. Chapter 1

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is an amateur work of literature, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think. Now, without further ado, let's begin our story in Matsuyama, Japan.

Chapter I

POV: Hikaru

November 6, 2022

My name is Hikaru Hatsumode. I am 22 years old and I live in Matsuyama, Japan. I am basically everything an ideal person isn't. I guess you could say I'm an introvert, but I like to avoid calling myself that, because I do have friends, they're just nothing like me. Even the one friend I have I can relate to is intolerable sometimes. So I spend most of my time alone. But when I'm not lamenting over the life I could've had, I'm doing what I do best: playing games. But that's probably to be expected from the background I gave earlier. But yeah, I'm a gamer. There's not much else to say about me.

Anyway, this year, 2022, is the year I've been waiting for my whole life. Today is the public release day of the Nerve Gear, a virtual reality video game console that fully immerses the player in the game so they are able to control their in-game avatar with their mind. Plus the one and only launch title: Sword Art Online. I know it'll be amazing. How? I was one of the Beta testers. I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of the one thousand Beta copies of Sword Art Online (SAO). Akihiko Kayaba, president of Argus Corporation and the creator of the Nerve Gear and SAO, has been my role model ever since I started gaming. He is a genius. And someday, I'll be where he is. But that's beside the point. SAO, right, what was it like? Oh, I'll tell you what it was like… Take a seat. We're going to be here for a while.

The day I got my finished copy of SAO I was walking back to my house with my friend Rei (he's the one I was talking about earlier) and we were going to meet online when we got home. I had also heard that a couple of my other friends were getting a Nerve Gear and a copy of SAO too, which was strange to me, but it was a good thing so I wasn't complaining. When I got home (I live alone) I switched on the Nerve Gear, put the helmet on, and closed my eyes. "Link start!" I commanded. And then, everything went white and a stream of colors in a tunnel shape came flying at me. I woke up in the middle of what appeared to be a plaza of some sort. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Everything around me looked totally real. I no longer existed in the real world. I was in a game. My dream had come true.

"Hey Hikaru!" I heard a familiar voice call out behind me. I turned to see Rei walking toward me. He looked real too, though I knew he was really unconscious in the real world, just like me.

"Hey Rei. How's everything looking to you?" I asked him.

"Hmm… Real." He replied.

"I can't believe we're actually in a game."

"Neither can I." We stopped talking for a while, taking in the scenery (if you could call it that) and admiring Kayaba's work. It was perfect.

"Do you know who else got this?" I asked him after about 5 minutes of looking around.

"I'm pretty sure Akuma, Shika, and Kimi are playing too. It's weird; I didn't know Akuma was into RPG's." Rei inquired.

"Well, neither were you."

"Kinda…"

"Wow, you're just like your real life self."

"Well yeah, I mean it's not like-"

"Hikaru!" I looked around to see who was calling my name. I saw a short, slightly dark skinned girl running toward me, arms open. It was Shika. She was one of my most recent friends. We only met this past summer. But, even then, she was still great.

"Hi, Shika!" I yelled back at her as she tackled me with a hug. I always hug my friends I consider most dear to me. However, more often than not, those friends are girls because the guys I hang out with, I love them like brothers, but honestly, I can't stand them sometimes.

"I'm glad you're here," Shika whispered to me.

"I'm glad you're here, too," I said back to her. "I don't think you've met Rei yet, have you?" I gestured to my friend standing next to me.

"No, I haven't. It's nice to meet you." Shika presented her hand, expecting Rei to shake it. Rei was a little shy around people he didn't know, so he was hesitant.

"Don't worry, I won't bite," she told him reassuringly. Finally, Rei shook Shika's hand.

"What do we do now?" I asked my newly formed party.

"Let's head to the fields and do some grinding. Maybe we'll see Akuma there." Rei suggested.

"No way, Akuma is playing, too?" Shika asked, surprised. She had already met Akuma in the real world some time ago.

"Yeah, apparently. That's not such a bad idea. Come on; let's see just how marvelous Kayaba's work really is." With that, we all went to the fields together.

"This is going to be amazing," I said to myself.

END OF CHAPTER I


	2. Chapter 2

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter II

POV: Hikaru

November 6, 2022

"And… twenty!" Shika announced as she killed her last wild boar and leveled up for the first time in the fields of Floor 1.

Shika, Rei, and I were level grinding in the fields so we could be prepared to challenge the boss. Rei and I had already killed our twenty boars and we were about to head back to the Town of Beginnings when someone had shouted at us.

"Hey! You look pretty strong!" I turned to see a stranger waving to me, pleading me to come see him. In the real world I would've ignored him, but this was an MMO, you're supposed to make friends with strangers. Besides, they don't know what you really look like or where you live in the real world so what's the big deal?

"Hey! You looking to make some new friends or something?" I shouted back to him as I ran toward this new player.

"I just reached level 2 and I wanted to test my strength against another player. Since I just saw that you reached level 2 as well, I wanted to challenge you. That way it's an even fight." This interested me. A duel to see who the strongest was? If my brother were here we would be doing that all day. Speaking of my brother, this guy kinda reminded me of him. But it couldn't be him, he's really busy these days and probably doesn't have the time to be playing games.

"Alright, I accept that challenge!" I said confidently. This player pulled up his menu, clicked a few buttons, and eventually a screen appeared in front of me.

Will you accept this duel request?

Opponent: Akria

Type: 1 vs. 1

Below the description there was a large blue O (accept) and a large red X (decline). I clicked the blue O with my finger and a large screen appeared beside both of us. A 60 second count down began. I grasped my sword, unsheathing it, and stepped back. Like Akira said, this is an evenly matched fight, level wise, so if I was going to win I had to come up with a strategy. Because I only had one skill, "Power Slash", my options were limited. Akira had an axe. Does that mean he had a different skill? Who knew? Finally, the countdown hit 0:00 and the fight began.

Akira drew his axe and charged. I drew my sword and deflected the attack. "Power Slash!" I yelled. The blade of my sword glowed orange as I sliced at Akira. He was thrown backward but recovered. I saw his HP bar in front of him go down a little. Akira grunted and charged at me again. "Heavy Cleaver!" he shouted. He did have a different skill than me. His axe blade glowed purple. In RPG's, axes tend to deal more damage than swords but slow down the user. I knew I had to either dodge this or get hit because my sword wasn't going to be able to deflect a hit like that. As Akira was about to bring his axe down on me I rolled out of the way and slashed at his side. His health bar went down a little more. "Dang, you are strong. I'm glad I decided to challenge you of all people." It's not that I was strong; I just appeared to be cleverer. However, Akira was able to deliver a blow to my head with the end of his axe handle. It was my health bar's turn to go down now. As I was launched backward I did my best to recover but I skidded to the ground anyway. Akira struck me again while I was on the ground. My health bar turned from green to yellow. That meant I was down to, at most, 50% of my total HP. I was in trouble if I didn't land another blow on him.

I got up and charged him again, but I didn't try to hit him yet. I just got close enough for Akira to try and knock me back so I could dodge and hit him then. It worked, now his health was lower than mine. The large screen that was beside us the whole time changed, my name being highlighted in yellow, the word "winner" next to it. Was it over already?

"But why? Your HP hasn't dropped to 0 yet." I was very confused at this interruption.

"Let's just keep going. It's probably a bug," Akira replied. I took his word for it and charged at him again. "Power Slash!" I yelled. My blade glowed orange again as I slashed at his side, bringing his health into the red. That meant he was at 25% or less of his max HP. "Dammit!" Akira yelled as he delivered a powerful swing to my head. Now I was in the red. "Crap, this is bad," I muttered to myself.

"Prepare to lose, Hikaru!" Akira shouted to me as he brought his axe down on my head. I was fast enough though, and I blocked it. I slowly got up, scraped my blade upward along his axe's handle, swung it hard to my left, and broke the axe head off of the handle. Now, he was mine. I plunged my sword into his chest, dropping his HP to 0. "AAAAAHHHH!" he yelled as he exploded into a hundred tiny blue triangles. I had beaten him, and I was satisfied. However, several minutes passed, and Akira was nowhere to be seen.

"Did he respawn?" Rei asked.

"He should have. Maybe he respawned back at the plaza?" Shika suggested.

"Probably. I died many times during the Beta test and every time I respawned at the plaza of the floor I was on. I'm sure he's back there by now," I reassured them. Shika pulled up her menu and checked the time.

"Five o'clock? Sorry guys, but I have to go. I have band practice at five thirty so I have to get ready."

"Alright, we'll see you some other time."

"Bye, Hikaru, and it was nice meeting you, Rei." Rei said nothing, only nodded. Shika waved as she swung her hand down, opening up her main menu to sign out. I turned around to head back to the plaza, but Shika stopped me.

"Uh… Hikaru? During the Beta there was a log out button on the main menu, right?" she asked me.

"Of course. It's a square with a large arrow pointing out of it."

"That's odd… It's not there."

"What? No, of course it's there." I pulled up my menu and, to my surprise, it wasn't there. I mean, there was a button with the log out icon on it, but it didn't say anything next to it and clicking it didn't do anything either.

"Maybe it's another bug?" Rei suggested. I guess it could've been… no, wait.

"It's not a bug." Shika and Rei looked at me curiously. "Think about it. How could a genius like Akihiko Kayaba create all of this and screw up the log out button? If anything that would be the easiest command to execute. There's very little chance that this is a bug." Their eyebrows shot upward.

"Are you saying this was intentional?" Shika asked.

"I don't know. Maybe Kayaba wanted everyone to be logged on for the opening ceremony. After that he should activate all of the log out buttons," I suggested.

"Does that mean I'm going to miss band practice?"

"Probably, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Almost immediately there was a bell chime at the plaza. Rei and Shika glowed blue and disappeared. Then the same thing happened to me. The next thing I knew, I was in the plaza with Rei and Shika still in front of me.

"What's going on?" Rei asked worriedly.

"This is the opening ceremony, if I had to guess," I told them. I hoped I was right. Something, however, told me I wasn't.

"Look up there!" Rei shouted, pointing at the sky. There was a red flashing polygon with the word "WARNING" on it in the sky for some time. When it stopped flashing and went solid, it multiplied and made a dome around the plaza. From in between the polygons came a red, blood like goop substance that collected itself into a giant mass. It changed its shape and became solid. What was left was a giant, floating figure. It was cloaked in red and the hood covered its face with a shadow, and a purple mist continually formulated around the face. Without giving it much thought, I already knew who it was. And what he said will forever change the way I saw my bigest hero.

END OF CHAPTER II


	3. Chapter 3

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter III

POV: Hikaru

November 6, 2022

The cloaked figure opened its arms.

"Attention players. I welcome you to my world. My name is Akihiko Kayaba, and as of this moment, I am in control of this world. I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus: the log out button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be. You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the Nerve Gear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the Nerve Gear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain, and ending your life… Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the Nerve Gear, an unfortunate decision to say the least. As a result, the game now has 213 less players than when it began. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world." A bunch of screens of news reports appeared around him. "As you can see, international media outlets have round the clock coverage of everything, including the deaths. At this rate, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a Nerve Gear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game. It's important you remember the following: there is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to 0, your avatar will be deleted from the system forever… And the Nerve Gear will simultaneously destroy your brain…" My heart skipped a beat when he said that. _Akira._ His HP dropped to 0 because of me. That means… I just killed a person… "There's only one way for a player to escape now: you must clear the game. Right now, you're gathered on floor1, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on floor 100, and you will clear the game. Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please have a look." I looked in my item storage and found a mirror. When I took it out (and everyone else did too) I started to glow and my avatar changed. I and everyone around me looked as they did in the real world.

"I can't believe this guy! This has to be a lie," Shika suggested.

"This is crazy! Why would anyone want to do something so sadistic?" Rei questioned.

"Everyone be quiet. I think he's about to tell us why," I told them.

"Right now, you're probably wondering why. Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and Nerve Gear, do this? Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design. As you can see, I have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial, and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck." After that, he dissolved into a mess of pixels and red smoke. He and the dome of red polygons disappeared.

"Akira…" I breathed. All he wanted was to have a fun fight with another player. What he got, though, was death. I killed him. I felt so guilty, and Shika could see it.

"Hikaru, it's not your fault. There's no way you could've known that this would happen," she patted my shoulder as I stared at the ground, "Akira would understand that you didn't mean to kill him."

"Thank you, Shika." I patted her shoulder too. I looked up, a determined look in my eyes. "We have to find Akuma and Kimi."

"I agree, they may not know what they're doing. We need to act fast," Rei assured us. Since a lot of players were in the plaza I thought we should look around here.

"Let's split up. You guys try to find Akuma since both of you know what he looks like. I'll try to find Kimi." Rei and Shika nodded and ran off in opposite directions, shouting Akuma's name into the crowd. I turned around and began my search for Kimi.

"KIMI!" I shouted into the frantic crowd. "KIMI!" I wasn't having much luck but I had to keep looking until I found her. "KIMI, WHERE ARE YOU?!" I whispered a prayer of thanks for the response I got out of that last plead.

"HIKARU! I'M OVER HERE!" I heard someone shout to my left. I turned and pushed past everyone. Eventually, I bumped into a short girl with blonde hair and green eyes. It was Kimi.

"Kimi, thank God I found you," I said over the crowd.

"Hikaru!" she yelled as he tackled me with a hug, "What are we going to do?"

"Isn't it obvious? Come on, follow me." And she followed. We finally made it out of the crowd. I met up with Rei and Shika in the town.

"Did you find Akuma?" I asked them.

"No, we didn't find him. I guess he already left somewhere," Rei replied.

"Damn, this is bad. What if he gets himself killed?" I already let one person die; I was not going to let another one go, especially if I've known him my whole life.

"Hikaru? What do we do now?" Kimi asked. I looked her in the eye, and told her what I intended to do.

"I'll tell you what we'll do. We're going to clear this game."

"But, what if one of us dies?" I patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"I won't let anyone die. We'll find Akuma and anyone we might know, And I won't let you or anyone else I come into contact with die. I promise that." In the real world, I'm pretty much useless in any situation. But in this world, things were different. I was the most capable and trustworthy person these people have to get them out of here. They were counting on me. And if I didn't help them, they would die. And when you are dependent on your friends, you never want to lose them.

'Kayaba…' I thought to myself, 'You've placed yourself in God's position. You can hear my thoughts. So hear me when I say this: You've made escaping possible. You won't beat me. You can't beat me. This world you've 'created'. It won't beat me. It CAN'T beat me… I will survive. I will escape. I will put an end to this virtual world. These players, my friends… Kimi… They're all counting on me to get them out of here. I WILL get them out. Everything in this world may smell real, taste real, sound real, look real… feel real… But it's all fake. None of it is real. This is a game. And games… were meant to be beaten!' It was at this moment that I realized my viewpoint of Akihiko Kayaba had changed very quickly. Less than an hour ago, I praised him as a genius, as a role model. Now… Now I hope he burns in hell.

END OF CHAPTER III


	4. Chapter 4

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter IV

POV: Hikaru

November 6, 2022

"What are we going to do first?" Kimi asked me. My party was leaving the Town of Beginnings and entering the Floor 1 fields.

"Well, since I was a Beta tester I know a few more things that you guys don't. So I think we should head to the next town. That way we'll be able to grind faster and earn more money," I told the group. Kimi still looked confused.

"Hikaru, what's 'grinding'?" she asked. I had to remind myself that Kimi was new to this genre.

"'Grinding' is a term used in RPG's. It's the action of defeating a lot of enemies to gain EXP and currency. That way they can upgrade their stats and equipment as they prepare for a tougher enemy they know is likely coming ahead."

"And what are 'stats'?" Again, she's new.

"In RPG's, 'stats' are numbers that tell you how strong you or someone else is. For example, I have an attack stat of 23, a defense of 16, speed of 22, max health of 500, and luck of 13. Since I'm level 2, all of my stats are higher than they were when I was level 1. What level are you, Kimi?" I know these explanations are unnecessarily long but I wanted to make sure that she understood completely what was essential for her and everyone else's survival.

"I'm still level 1. Would it be a good thing if I started grinding until I was level 2?"

"Yeah, we wouldn't want you to be left out. Alright, let's teach you how to fight. Rei, I'm sending you a map of the route to the next town. Take Shika with you but don't do anything when you get there until we catch up, understand?" I told him, pulling up my menu and sending him my map.

"Yeah, right. Come on, Shika," he said, receiving the map and leading Shika the way it led. Kimi and I watched as they disappeared into the distance. As if on cue, a boar spawned right behind us.

"Alright Kimi, draw your weapon." She obeyed and pulled out a small dagger. With her lack of experience in RPG's, she had a surprisingly confident look on her face. She didn't have any skills yet, given she was still level 1, so she would have to defeat these next twenty something enemies with nothing but regular attacks. She charged at the boar and slashed at it. But, she missed, and the boar charged at her, knocking her to the ground.

"Do you need some help?" I asked her, kneeling down to help her up.

"No. I can do this on my own," she replied. As the boar charged at her again, she got up and jumped out of the way, slashing at the boar once she got close enough. Its health bar dropped to 50%. She tried slashing at it again but the boar dodged and hit her again. I noticed that Kimi was almost in the red. I better do something before this boar killed her. "Power Slash!" I yelled as I struck the boar with my sword, sending it flying as it exploded into tiny blue triangles. A results screen appeared in front of Kimi saying she had gotten 20 EXP and 10 col, which is the currency of SAO. I was reminded of Akira when this happened. I still wasn't over the fact that I killed him. He wasn't just dead in the game; he was dead in real life, too. And it was my fault.

"Hikaru? Are you okay?" Kimi broke me out of my trance.

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine. You though. You took quite the beating out there," I said, taking out a healing crystal. "Heal." I pointed the crystal at Kimi. It exploded, replenishing her health bar to 100%.

"Thanks," she said, "Sorry you had to step in like that."

"Don't worry about it," I told her, putting my hand on her shoulder, "I wasn't going to stand by watch when I could see you weren't doing so well. I'll probably be stepping in like that in the future, too."

"Thanks in advance. Now then, how many more do we have left?" she asked joyfully.

"Well, that's 1 down, so 19 to go!" I told her. She was mystified.

"What?! 19?! That's crazy!"

"Well, if you want to grow to level 2 you'll have to kill a total of 20 boars. Don't worry though, I'll be helping you along the way." This appeared to comfort her a little.

"Alright. Let's get this over with."

About 30 minutes later, Kimi had killed 20 boars, growing to level 2. The sun was now setting. Kimi and I sat on a cliff, looking over the edge of the giant floating castle, Aincrad, to the seemingly endless ocean below.

"Hikaru? What are you thinking about?" she asked me curiously.

"Well, I was thinking about my friends and family that aren't trapped in this virtual world. I wonder what they're doing right now. I wonder if they know what I'm doing, where I am, that I'm trapped in this false reality where I could be killed at any moment," I told her, "What about you? What are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about my sisters. What are they going to think when they see what's happening to the players that can't take their Nerve Gears off. I wonder what they'll do, if they'll do anything." Kimi had two sisters, both of which lived with her.

"I bet they moved you to a hospital and put you on life support. Our real bodies can't be kept alive like this for very long. You're lucky you live with someone who will take care of you like that. I live alone. What's going to happen to me? All I can hope for is that one of my family members breaks in and takes me to the hospital. If they don't, my time here is limited."

"Don't say that. Someone will come get you, I promise." Kimi was very good at cheering me up. That was one reason I liked her so much. I chuckled a little to myself.

"You know, if I were living with my dad, I'd probably be dead already."

"Hikaru!" Kimi had a shocked look on her face. I realized I shouldn't have said that.

"Sorry, I didn't men to scare you. It's just that he never watched the news and hated it when I played games for hours on end. He would probably try taking the Nerve Gear off of me. I guess I'm glad I live alone in that context."

"Right… Hikaru? Do you think that we're going to die?" This concerned me. Although, I knew exactly what I was going to say.

"Kimi, I don't know if I'm going to die. But I do know that, if I do, I will die protecting you or someone else. But I'll try to stay alive to the end. I swore I would end this world. Kayaba will pay for all the deaths he's let happen." Kimi smiled when I said I would die protecting her.

"You'll die protecting me, huh? Oh, Hikaru, you're so crazy," she said, punching my shoulder. Kimi laughed. I laughed. For a second, we totally forgot about everyone that was dying at this very moment. Then our eyes met. Her green eyes reflected light into my blue ones. She looked down at my hand, scooted closer to me, and rested her hear on my shoulder. I put my arm around her shoulder. We stayed like that for about 10 minutes. I decided that we should stay in the Town of Beginnings tonight.

"Hey Kimi, it's getting late. We should get a room at the inn. What do you say?" I whispered to her.

"Alright. Let's go," she whispered back.

That night, as we got to our room at the inn, I messaged Rei, telling him to get a room at the nearest inn. I didn't get much sleep. I was worried about how I was going to teach Kimi everything she needed to know to survive and protect her and everyone else at the same time. It wasn't going to be easy. But I didn't care. Kimi was too important to me for me to not try and keep her safe. I had to, no matter how hard it was going to be.

"Kimi… I promise I'll keep you safe. I promise I'll do anything and everything it takes to make sure you make it back. You can count on it," I said under my breath as I looked at Kimi, asleep in the bed across the room from me. Nothing in the outside world mattered now. The only thing I cared about was keeping my friends safe. And that's exactly what I intended to do… Even if I died trying.

END OF CHAPTER IV


	5. Chapter 5

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter V

POV: Hikaru

November 7, 2022

I woke up in the inn with Kimi still asleep. I had some time to kill until she woke up. I noticed that a blinking yellow circle was in front of me. A piece of paper and a pencil was on it. I had received a message. I clicked it and a screen appeared before me. It was Rei telling me that I had to find him as soon as possible. I'd have to wake Kimi up. I walked over to the bed she was sleeping on and I shook her a little bit.

"Kimi… It's time to wake up." I whispered in her ear. No response. I shook her a little harder. Still no response.

"Kimi! You need to wake up!" I yelled. Kimi's eye lids fluttered and she sat up.

"Hikaru, why did you have to wake me up like that?" she asked.

"Rei says we have to find him as fast as possible. Sorry, but I didn't know when you would wake up," I told her.

"Alright, let's go, I guess." She got up and we checked out of the inn. When we arrived at the next town we met with Rei and Shika.

"We got here as fast as we could. What's going on?" I asked Rei.

"The assault team found the boss room. They're currently assembling the most capable players they can find. I was going to tell you that you should try to get in since you're an RPG veteran." Rei replied.

"Finally. Where can I find this assault team?" I asked.

"They have a building at the center of town. Let's go there now and see if they'll accept you." We arrived at the assault team headquarters about 15 minutes later.

"The strongest guild in the assault team is called the Knights of the Blood Oath, led by someone named Captain Heathcliff." Rei told me as we walked in the building. Kimi and Shika waited outside. When we received permission to talk to Heathcliff we were led up a couple flights of stairs to a circular room with a glass roof. There was a long table at the front of the room. In the middle of the table was a man wearing a red and white suit of armor. I guessed that that was Heathcliff. The man in the middle of the table stood up and greeted.

"Hello. I am Captain Heathcliff, leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath. Who might you be?" he asked us.

"I'm Hikaru, and this is my friend Rei. We're solo players, for the time being, at least," I told him.

"I see. So what brings you to the assault team headquarters?"

"I want to see if you could use any help with the boss on this floor. I heard you had discovered the lair."

"Ah, so you think you're capable enough?"

"Yes, I'm sure I can help somehow."

"Interesting… Let me ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

"Are you an ex-Beta tester?" My heart skipped a beat when he asked me that.

"Ex-Beta tester? Uh… yes, yes I am."

"Good. That means you have more experience than any average player. I suggest you go to the meeting of players interested in the boss room."

"Really? The fact that I'm an ex-Beta tester doesn't matter?"

"It really doesn't. I don't understand what the problem with them is. If anything they're the reason the deaths are as low as they are. If it weren't for their guidebooks there would have been a lot more deaths."

"That's… er… a little harsh, don't you think?"

"Perhaps, but it's the truth. Anyway, if you can survive the boss fight you'll be accepted into the assault team."

"Does that mean I have to join a guild?"

"Not necessarily, you have the option of joining a guild but you may be a solo unit if you choose so." After that, Heathcliff sent us out of the building and told us where the meeting was taking place later today. As we waited Rei had some questions for me.

"So, how did Kimi's grinding go?" he asked.

"It went great. I have to say, for a noob to the genre, she's a quick learner," I replied.

"That's good. So, when do you think would be a good time to grind? Should we do it every other day or in between quests or what?"

"I don't know. I'll probably be soloing quests so I'm good to go. You and the others should figure something out."

"But you'll come with us when you can, right?"

"Of course, I still have to look after you guys."

"Good. The girls will be glad to hear that."

"By the way, any sign of Akuma? Have you seen him yet?"

"No. We still have no idea where he is. Do you think he's okay?"

"I'm not sure. I hope we find him soon, though. He probably doesn't know what he's doing."

"We can't dedicate too much time to finding him, now at least. You have to defeat the floor boss. When everyone moves to floor 2, we could probably find him there."

"You make a good point. Speaking of the boss, the meeting's in five minutes. Let's go."

"But this is YOUR meeting; I don't belong among the most capable players in SAO."

"Don't worry, you're definitely not the worst player and we could use all the help we can get. Now, we're going to be late. Come on." Rei wasn't up to arguing, so he followed me to the meeting area. It was a small stage area that was dug out of the ground. A player with blue hair and a sword strapped to his waist was in the center. I guessed he was hosting the meeting. There were also a few people in the in the seating area. Soon, everyone here would be fighting the floor boss. If I survive, I get to join the assault team. If I die… then I'm dead. End of story. But not just for me, but for all my friends as well. I better make it back in one piece, otherwise I'd have failed Kimi…

END OF CHAPTER V


	6. Chapter 6

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter VI

POV: Hikaru

November 7, 2022

"Okay, people! Now that everyone's here let's get this meeting started!" the man in the center of the stage said, "So anyway, I want to thank everyone for coming, good to see you. My name is Diabel, and in this game the job I rolled is knight!" There were a couple laughs from the audience.

"Dude, there's no job system in this game," someone said.

"You guys want to hear this or not?" Diabel pleaded everyone to be quiet. "Right, anyway here's the deal: our party found the boss room at the top of the tower today. First, we need to defeat the boss and make it to floor 2. The next step is we have to tell everyone waiting in the town of beginnings that it is possible to beat this game. Fact is it's our duty as the most capable players here. Do you agree, or not?" The crowd whispered to each other. Finally, someone started clapping. Soon the entire group was clapping for Diabel's speech.

"Okay! Glad to hear you're all with me on this. Now, let's figure out how we're going to beat the boss. First off, we'll team up into parties of six. A typical party doesn't stand a chance against a floor boss. We need to raid group made up of multiple parties." I went ahead and teamed up with Rei.

"Are you sure about this? I'm not as experienced as you," Rei sounded worried.

"It's okay. I've got your back. Besides, everyone here's already friends." Rei nodded in agreement.

"Alright, looks like everyone's teamed up. Now then-" Diabel was cut off by someone who appeared as though he wasn't part of the original group.

"Hold up a sec!" he shouted, jumping down into the pit the meeting was taking place. "My name's Kibaou, got that? Before we take on the boss I want to get something off my chest. We all know about the two thousand people who've died so far, yeah? Well, some of you need to apologize to them right now!"

"Kibaou, I think I know who you're referring to… You mean the ones who are ex-Beta testers, right?" Diabel asked.

"Course I mean them! The day this stupid ass game started the Beta guys just up and vanished, right? They ditched all us beginners. They snagged all the good hunting spots, and they grabbed all the easy quests, too. They were the only ones getting stronger in here. This whole time they've ignored us like we're nothing! Hell, I bet there's some of them here! Come on out, Beta testers! We should make them apologize to us. And we should make them give out their money and the items they got! They can't expect the party to trust them when they don't trust us. Why should we?" I did not want to give away all my money and items. It took every virtual muscle in my virtual body to remain sitting. But if I didn't stand, did that mean I was lying? But this guy is being unreasonable. No one but Rei knows anyway. But if I want to be honest I'd stand up and hand over all my belongings. But I worked so hard-

"Can I say somethin'?" Thank God!

"Hey," a man in the crowd got up and approached Kibaou, "My name's Agil. Kibaou, right? I wanna know if I'm on the same page. You say the ex-Beta testers should be blamed for the rookies deaths because they didn't help 'em, and you want 'em to apologize and give up their winnings. Did I leave anything out?"

"No, you didn't," Kibaou responded. Agil reached into his pocket and pulled out a small booklet that read "GUIDE BOOK" on the front of it.

"The item shop hands these out for free. It's a guide book, you got one, didn't you?" Agil asked.

"Sure I got one, so what about it?" Kibaou implored.

"You know who was handin' these out? The ex-Beta testers." There were a couple murmurs from the crowd.

"Listen up. Everyone had equal access to this information. Even so, lots of players still died. I didn't come here to point fingers at anyone, I'm here because I wanna learn from those player's deaths. I'm here because I wanna find out how we're gonna beat the boss." With that, Agil and Kibaou sat down and waited for Diabel to continue with the meeting.

"Okay, can we get back to the meeting now?" he asked rhetorically, "For info on the boss, it's all in here, the latest issue of the guide book you just heard about. According to the book, the boss's name is 'Illfang the Kobold Lord'. Also he'll be surrounded by his minions, the 'Ruin Kobold Sentinels'. Illfang carries an axe and a buckler. He has 4 health bars, and when the last one turns red, he switches to a curved, sword-like weapon called a talwar. He can change his patterns of attack, too… That's it for the briefing. As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally among everyone, the party that defeats the boss gets the exp, and whoever gets an item gets to keep it. Any objections?" The crowd was silent. "Good! We leave tomorrow at 10 in the morning. Meeting adjourned people!" Everyone got up and left the meeting area. Rei and I met with the girls shortly after the meeting ended. I forgot we hadn't told them we were going to fight the floor boss.

"Hey Kimi, Shika, there's something I need to tell you. Sorry, but I probably should have told you this sooner."

"Go ahead, we're listening," Shika responded.

"The assault team found the floor boss's lair earlier today, and Rei and I are going to help take it down." I was hoping they would be okay with it. Shika seemed chill, but Kimi was a different story."

"Are you out of your mind? What if you get yourself killed? What are you gaining from this? Is it really worth risking your life?" she exclaimed.

"Actually, there is something that I'd like to get out of this. For every floor boss there is a bonus reward for the player that lands the finishing attack called a 'last attack bonus.' In the Beta, the last attack bonus was a powerful skill that grew in strength with the user. A skill like that will be useful for the whole game. That's why I'm going," I replied. I never actually knew what the skill was called or what it did, but I know that it whoever had it had an advantage when it came to survival.

"But is it worth risking your life? That was the Beta, you probably don't know how strong this thing is in the finished game."

"You're right; I don't know how strong it is. And no, it probably isn't worth risking my life. But it's a risk I'm willing to take, nonetheless. I can't guarantee that I will survive, but if anyone can put this thing down, it's the Beta tester that surpassed all the others during the Beta. Don't worry about me. And don't worry about Rei either; I'll be looking after him as well." I knew that if I was ever going to die doing something stupid, it would be while fighting the floor boss. All for what? A skill? It definitely wasn't worth risking my life. But I didn't care. I was going to protect my friends, even if it meant gambling with my life to get a skill. It was a chance that I simply couldn't refuse. Besides, if Kayaba didn't change too much between the Beta and the finished game, I knew this boss front to back.

END OF CHAPTER VI


	7. Chapter 7

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter VII

POV: Hikaru

November 8, 2022

At 10 o'clock Rei and I met at the gathering area and headed for the boss room. I explained to him what our job was as the backup players.

"You'll hit their weapons out of their hands and I'll finish them off. Okay?" I explained to him.

"I got it. So, what exactly does that skill you were talking about do?" Rei inquired.

"I really don't know. All I know is that it improves with your level and someone else got it in the Beta. I never got to actually see it."

"So how do you know it's as useful as they say?"

"I don't know that it will be, but it's worth taking the chance. All I can do now is hope the rumors are right." About an hour later we arrived at the boss room. Diabel stood in front of the gate leading to the room.

"Okay guys, I have one thing to say to you all. Let's win! Come on!" Diabel said as he pushed the gate open. We stepped in and the whole room lit up with bright colors. At the front of the room was a throne. Sitting on it was a large, red monster type creature. It was Illfang the Kobold Lord. He leaped from his throne to the center of the room and roared. His minions, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels, were spawning all around him.

"Commence attack!" Diabel shouted as players rushed by him with their weapons drawn.

"Squads A and C, switch in! Here it comes, squad B, block! Squad C, keep guarding and prepare to switch. Everyone else, when you fall back, regroup and flank them. Squads D, E, and F, keep those minions off us!" Diabel was taking charge like a pro. He had this broken down to a formula. I was glad he was leading us instead of some inexperienced noob. Rei and I wiped out several minions before Illfang roared. I looked over to see that his fourth and last health bar was red. He was switching weapons now. But as he threw his axe and buckler to the side Diabel rushed past everyone.

"Stand back, I got it!" he yelled. But I thought we were supposed to surround it and take it out that way. What was he… Wait… Does he know about the last attack bonus too? Was he… a Beta tester?

Diabel's sword glowed with an intense yellow light and Illfang pulled out his tal… Oh crap. That wasn't a talwar…

"Diabel! Stop! That's not a talwar! It's a nodachi! This isn't like the-" but before I could tell him this wasn't like the Beta, Illfang launched him across the room where he hit a wall and his health bar continually dropped past the red point. I ran to him and pulled out a healing crystal but he pushed my hand away.

"You… You knew about the skill too. Are you… A fellow Beta tester?" he whispered.

"Yes I am. I came here so I could get the skill that improves with your level. I was going to use it to protect all my friends that are stuck in this game with me," I told him.

"So… You're just like me… Do something for me. First… tell a player named Lisbeth that I didn't make it. Second… lead this group and… defeat the boss. You can do it. Do it… for everyone here…" With that, our leader exploded into a hundred blue triangles. He won't be forgotten, rather remembered as a leader that helped clear the first floor. I'd make sure that happened.

"Rei! What do you say we beat this boss' fat ass into the ground? Sound like fun?" I shouted to Rei.

"You bet it does," he replied.

"Let's deal with him the same way we beat his minions. After his weapon is out of the way, we'll finish him off." I charged at Illfang and he raised his sword to attack me. I blocked it and Rei struck him from the side. Illfang turned to him and I struck him with a Power Slash. Illfang winded up his sword and swept it across the floor, knocking me and Rei to the ground. He lunged at us but, right before he could attack us, Agil deflected the attack. The entire team ran past him and charged the boss.

"Go ahead and heal. We'll hold off Illfang!" he said.

"Thanks… But do me a favor and don't kill him just yet… Okay?" Agil looked a little confused at my request, but he nodded and charged the boss. The group struck at Illfang until he swept them away. I jumped up and charged him in turn.

"Power Slash!" I shouted as my sword glowed orange and I slashed at Illfang. I slashed again. Again. A fourth time. Finally, I jumped high above his head and brought my blade down on him, cutting him through the middle. He screeched as he exploded into blue triangles, reminding me of Diabel. There was no way we could have done that without him. A giant Congratulations screen appeared at the front of the room and a results screen appeared in front of everyone. In front of me the screen read…

Congratulations

You got the last attack bonus!

BONUS SKILL

"Phantom Strike"

Description:

Active Skill: Slash through your target and deal extra damage when you sheath your weapon within 10 seconds of striking. Improves with your level.

"You did it, Hikaru! You beat the boss and got the skill!" Rei exclaimed.

"That was some fine swordsmanship. Congratulations. This victory is all thanks to you," Agil said in turn. The crowd cheered for me and, for once in my life, I felt as though I did something that helped a significant amount of people. Maybe, just maybe, this was but a small amount of what I could do in this world. Maybe I was meant to boost the morale of everyone in this virtual world. I was put here deliberately and specifically to protect other players.

"Stop cheering!" a voice from the back shouted. It was Kibaou.

"Why did you do it, huh? Why did you let Diabel die? Admit it, you knew the technique the boss was going to use. You could have told us! Then Diabel would have stood a chance. He wouldn't have had to die!" There were murmurs among the players.

"I know why he knew!" someone called, "he used to be a Beta tester! Think about it, he knew the boss' attack patterns. He knew, but he kept it from us! And I bet he's not the only Beta tester here. Come on! Show yourselves!" More whispers. This was very bad. If this started up again I might be revealed as a Beta tester and then… Wait a second… Beta tester…

I started laughing. I surprised everyone, even me. My mind was running itself now. I had no control over it.

"I will admit that I did take part in testing the Beta. But among the thousand players, I was different. All the other testers were beginners, noobs, inexperienced, even useless." I began. What was I thinking? What am I doing?

"I, however, surpassed them all. I was the most productive player, the one that discovered mysterious and powerful items and mapped areas that no one else even got a chance to peek at. I was, by far, the most powerful player in SAO. The Beta testers were worse than you guys. So I warn you, don't confuse with those guys, I'm so much better than that." I think I got the response I was looking for… I'm not entirely sure though.

"If that's true then you're worse than a Beta tester. You're a goddam cheater, that's what you are!" The crowd started to bad mouth me. Someone shouted something that made me smile.

"He's a Beta tester and a cheater. He's a Beater!" Beater… I love it.

"Beater, eh? That actually sounds pretty cool. Alright then it's settled! I'm a Beater. But promise me you won't put me in the same lot with the testers. I'm a Beater, and that's how you will address me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to head back to town after I open the gate to floor 2. See you guys around. Come on, Rei." I opened the gate at the front of the room and headed back to the inn where Kimi and Shika were waiting for us to return.

END OF CHAPTER VII


	8. Chapter 8

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter VIII

POV: Kimi

November 8, 2022

"So, how long have you known Hikaru?" Shika and I were talking while Hikaru and Rei were fighting the boss. Just to keep us from worrying.

"I met him last summer. It was his brother that introduced me to him," Shika replied, "So, I know we were trying to keep the guys off our minds, but do you think they'll be okay?"

"They'll be fine. Hikaru is more familiar with RPGs than anyone else I know, and a Beta tester to boot. I bet that they'll walk through that door any second now!" As if on cue, the door opened and Rei was standing in the door way.

"Rei! You're back! Where's Hikaru?" I asked him.

"He went off to buy some new gear with the money he got from the boss fight. He'll be back in a little bit," he replied.

"That's good. So, what happened? Did it go very well?" Shika asked.

"It went very well. Hikaru got that skill he was talking about and it does improve with level so that's a good thing."

"That's great! What else happened?" I asked.

"Well, Hikaru may or may not have been outed for being a Beta tester. Then he went on about how he was better than the other testers and how they shouldn't confuse him for those noobs."

"That doesn't sound good. What happened after that?"

"They started calling him a cheater and someone gave him the nick name 'Beater.' He was actually really happy about it and was all like 'I'm a Beater, and that's how you will address me.'"

"I will never understand that boy," Shika remarked.

"Yeah, his mind is one that we may never be able to comprehend."

"So, when do you think he'll be back?" As soon as I asked that, the door flew open and Hikaru stood in the door way, his head pointed toward the floor and his face covered in a shadow.

"Hey, Hikaru. Rei told us what happened. But, congratulations on getting the skill! I know it will come in handy… Hey, are you listening to me?" I said to him. About five seconds went by before he said anything.

"Rei, Shika, Kimi… get you stuff together." There was another pause. "Because we're going to floor 2!" he shouted, making everyone in the room jump.

"You seem… oddly excited," I said.

"We beat the boss and made it to the second floor! You see? We can do this! We can clear this game!" Hikaru was very ecstatic, for some reason.

"Alright, I guess we're going now. If you guys are ready we better get going," Rei told us.

"I'm ready. Come on Kimi, let's get there before the fields in the new floor are raided," Shika said.

"Actually, there are some things I need to do real quick. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up later," I replied.

"If you insist. Message one of us if you need something," Hikaru said, "And, be careful if you go out to hunt." With that, Hikaru, Rei, and Shika left the room and closed the door behind them. I watched as they exited the building and disappeared into the distance. Now was my chance. I've hired an info broker to help me get some information about this world so I can be prepared when we get there. His name is Minori. I arranged for him to meet me at around three o'clock. It was two-thirty now so I headed for our arranged meeting spot, an alley next to the weapon shop. Minori was waiting for me when I got there.

"You showed up pretty early," he said.

"I want to get this over with so I can get to the next floor. So, what do you have for me?" I asked him.

"Well, it's nothing really worth charging you for. I found out that there will be an event in December of next year. It will take place somewhere in the woods of floor 35."

"Floor 35?! That's crazy! Does Kayaba really expect us to get that far in a year?"

"Well, we are playing literally 24/7. And since escaping is the only thing on the players' minds, to be honest I'm surprised we're only on floor 2. Besides, that friend of yours is pretty strong. What was his name again?"

"Hikaru…"

"That's right, Hikaru. Hey, if you want to know how fast news travels get this, everyone's been going on about this guy that totally kicked the floor 1 boss' ass! They said it was really cool. Then they found out that he was a Beta tester AND a cheater. Now they call him the 'Beater.' Pretty crazy, huh?"

"Oh, yeah… that was Hikaru. He made quite the episode after the fight ended. At least, that's what my other friend said."

"Hmmm, that's not good. You know if people see you with him and recognize him as a Beater, people are going to look down on you."

"I don't care. He's really a good guy and he cares a lot about his friends. So I don't care if people don't like me because I spend time with a Beater then they don't deserve someone as amazing as Hikaru."

"Sounds to me like you really like this guy…"

"Yeah… maybe I do."

"Well, I don't blame you. He is a handsome fellow!"

"Is there anything else you have to tell me or what?"

"That's pretty much it. Go on; catch up with your friends and stay out of trouble. Oh, and make sure you don't screw it up with that Hikaru guy. Who knows, if he keeps going on boss raids like that he could be rich and famous someday."

"Oh shut up. I'll see you later, Minori." I waved as I turned and walked down the street toward the inn when I saw Rei.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Hikaru sent me here to come teleport you to floor 2 so you wouldn't have to walk all that way. Isn't that thoughtful of him?" he said.

"Yeah, it is." Rei held out a blue crystal and told me to grab it too. I grabbed it and we were teleported to the second floor.

"Hikaru and Shika are waiting at the inn. We better not keep them waiting," Rei said.

"Alright, let's go," I replied. I thought about what I told Minori. _"Yeah… maybe I do."_ Did I? Did I really? I wasn't sure. But, Hikaru is pretty special to me. I just couldn't quite figure out why…

END OF CHAPTER VIII


	9. Chapter 9

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter IX

POV: Hikaru

November 9, 2022

Yesterday was pretty hectic. Why Kimi wanted to stay behind for a little bit I may never know. Maybe I'll ask her about it later. But that thing that happened at the boss fight was a moment I won't forget. I wonder how many players are going to see me and go "That guy's a Beater." It's a bad name, I know, but I'll get used to it. After all, no one can leave so we'll be here for a while. Anyway, we're on the second floor now. The others don't know it yet but this is where I went shopping for new gear which is why it's so strong.

"Hey, Hikaru, Rei told us that you went shopping, so why are you still in your default armor and weapon?" Shika said to me.

"Oh yeah, I kinda wanted to wait until we started grinding to conserve its durability. I wouldn't want that to deplete too fast," I replied.

"Oh, I see. Just don't forget about it."

"You know, if you guys want to get something too we can go grinding now. What do you think?" Everyone nodded in agreement. As we walked toward the field we talked about what we were going to buy at the shop.

"What weapon are you guys going for?" Rei asked.

"I'm probably going to stick to my dagger," Kimi replied.

"I'm going to try out the katana. I heard that it has fast, as well as strong, sword skills," Shika said, "Hey wait, before we go any farther, I want to see Hikaru in his new equipment. Come on, put it on already!"

"Well, I guess if you want to see it that bad…" I opened my menu and equipped my new armor set and weapon. It was a long, dark jacket, black boots and gauntlets, and a long one-handed sword. Although I thought it was pretty cool, Rei noticed something odd about my choice of weapon.

"Hikaru, uh, listen. I know you like to do things that other people don't, but… no shield?" he said.

"Well, shields are nice and everything, but they can really slow you down in battle. It really depends on it you think you can dodge attacks or would rather block them. If you block it, you've avoided a hit, but you're really no better off than you were if you had gotten hit. If you dodge it, your enemy is wide open for you to attack because you're in a new location relative to your enemy. That gives you a tactical advantage. Besides, it just looks dumb. That's why I went without the shield," I explained.

"Okay, but if you were going to do that why don't you use a two-handed sword?"

"They slow you down just as much as shields and are harder to control. Plus, they reduce your hit rate a lot. So, in my opinion, the pros of a one-handed sword alone outweigh the pros of a shield or a two-handed sword. Anyway, let's get going." We left the town and entered the fields.

"Let's start with that one," Shika said, pointing to a wasp-like monster.

"Okay, who wants the first attack?" I asked everyone.

"I'll do it," Rei said as he drew his axe and charged at the enemy. He hit it and it turned to it him. It made a strange hissing sound as it flew toward Rei, its stinger pointed at him. Kimi ran up to it and deflected the attack. Shika, in turn, stabbed it from behind. I liked the way everyone was working together to kill this thing. But, even with all those hits, its health bar was still in the green. Now would be a good time to use that new skill.

"Everyone get back!" I yelled, "Phantom Strike!" My sword glowed a dark purple as I drew it. I slashed through the enemy once, twice, a third time, finally slashing through it for the fourth and last time. Every time I slashed through it a giant purple spike appeared through the enemy. As I sheathed my sword, the spikes exploded, finishing it off. A results screen appeared in front of everyone.

"Is that the skill you got from the boss?" Kimi asked as we searched for our next target.

"Yeah, Phantom Strike. That was the first time I used it. What do you think?" I replied.

"It looks really cool. Is there any other way to get it?"

"If there is another way, I don't know how. It may be available on some of the higher floors." That was a good question, though. Half of me wanted there to be another way to get it. The other half didn't. If there was, clearing the game would be easier for everyone. But, also, the Red Players might get it.

If you commit a crime against another player in SAO, mainly attacking them outside of a duel, the green cursor above your head will turn orange. These players make up a group of people called Red Players. In other MMORPG's, it's okay to play the villain, you kill a couple people, have a few laughs, do something new. But in SAO, if you killed someone, you killed them in the real world. The Red Players aren't just internet trolls, they're murderers. But, probably the most disturbing part about them is they don't seem to care. In fact, they'll most likely kill again. Groups of them will often create their own guilds known as murder guilds. I fear we might run into one eventually. But, if the day comes in which we are staring at a member or members of a murder guild, I'll have Phantom Strike on my side.

END OF CHAPTER IX


	10. Chapter 10

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter X

POV: Akuma

December 15, 2022

What have I gotten myself into? I decided to try out this new Nerve Gear thing everyone was raging about. I was like, "Well, RPG's aren't really my thing. I much prefer FPS games but it's virtual reality. They'll make shooters for it eventually so I'll just try it out." Now, I'm trapped in this game, unable to log out, and if I die in the game I die in real life. I have two options at this point. First option, commit suicide. Second option, find Hikaru, who is undoubtedly somewhere to be found, and try to survive until the game is cleared. I took the second option, because I have to get out of here. There are so many things I haven't done yet. I heard that floor 7 was opened recently, so I headed there in the hopes of finding Hikaru and anyone else that might be able to help me. I talked to everyone I ran into on the streets if they have seen a player named Hikaru anywhere. Some say they haven't heard of him. Others say they've heard of him, but don't know where he is now. Others go, "Hikaru? You mean that Beater from the first boss raid? I don't care where he is! Hell, I hope he's one of the first two thousand to die!" What the hell's a Beater? Where is Hikaru? What should I be doing? What does RPG stand for? So many questions and no one to answer any of them. Miserable, I walked into the inn, sat in a booth in the corner, and sulked. An hour must have passed before someone noticed me.

"Hey, whatcha doin'?" I heard a female voice say to me. I looked up to see a girl with pink hair, a short red dress, and a mace at her side.

"Nothing much, just questioning my life decisions. I should have never put that damn Nerve Gear on. You ever think that?" I replied.

"All the time, almost every day. But what are you doing in here? You should be in the fields grinding and gaining levels."

"Maybe I would if I knew what the hell grinding was." The girl sat down next to me.

"Why don't you tell me why you're here? In SAO, not the inn."

"Well, I guess I have some time to kill. It all started on the sixth of last November when this thing called a Nerve Gear was released and my friend said it would be awesome so I got one even though the flagship title was RPG and I'm not good at RPG's. Then I found out that I can't leave and death in the game means death in real life. I tried looking for anyone I may know that can help me but I haven't had any luck. So now I'm just sulking in an inn."

"Looks like you could use some help. Alright, get up let's go to the fields and do some grinding."

"I don't know. I've just met you. I don't know anything about you."

"Look, you need help right? I'm the only one you've found that has offered to help you, right? Think about it, do you really have a choice?" She had a point, I had to trust her.

"Alright, I'm getting up." I got up and followed her to this place she called the fields. I guess it's supposed to that grassy area where all the enemies spawn on each floor?

"By the way, my name's Lisbeth. Nice to meet you," she said as we walked.

"I'm Akuma. And thanks for helping me," I said to her. She put her arm out, causing me to stop.

"It's a little early to be thanking me. Do you see that moving thing over there?" Lisbeth pointed at a boar-like creature about one hundred meters away from us.

"Yeah, I see it. Do you want me to attack it?"

"Yeah, let's see how you fight. Go on, hit it!" I drew my sword and ran at the boar. I swung at it and the green bar next to it turned yellow. The boar knocked me to the ground. I got up and swung at it again but it moved out of the way and hit me again. Lisbeth ran past me. "Heavy Slam!" she shouted. Her mace glowed green and she hit the boar. It exploded into blue triangles and a results screen appeared in front of me and Lisbeth. She reached down to help me up.

"Needs a lot of work. Why didn't you use a sword skill?" she asked me.

"Sword Skill? Oh yeah… um, what's a sword skill?" I asked her. She stared at me, her eyes as big as donuts.

"You… don't know what a sword skill is?"

"Nope."

"You may be harder to teach than I thought. Okay, open you menu, like this." She swung her hand downward in front of her and a menu appeared. I did the same thing and the same thing happened.

"Have you ever opened this before?"

"Yeah, I've seen people doing it in town and I tried it out but I have no idea what to do from here."

"Well the main thing we want to do now is look at your skills. Go to your character menu and select the 'Skills' tab. Then select 'Sword Skills'" I did as she told me and there was a list of items came up, the first one being "Power Slash."

"I think the only sword skill I have now is 'Power Slash.'"

"What level are you?"

"Three."

"You should have some skill points to spend. Try scrolling down the list and see what the next skill you can get is." The next skill that I could get was called "Flash Thrust." I clicked "Learn" and the item turned yellow.

"What do I do now?"

"Now, go over to that boar and shout 'Flash Thrust' and try thrusting your sword at it. Oh, and this time, I'm not going to come in and help you." I took a deep breath and ran up to the boar.

"Flash Thrust!" I cried. My sword glowed blue and I thrusted it at the boar. It was impaled and its health bar completely depleted. I killed an enemy with one hit. Maybe I can do this without Hikaru.

"Good. Now, do you have any profession skill points?" Lisbeth asked.

"Let me see…" I opened my menu and view my skills. Instead of clicking the Sword Skill tab I clicked the Profession Skill tab. See? Thinking! I had 250 points to spend.

"Most people will divide their points among several professions but if you want you can put all of them into one. What will you do?" I looked at all the skills I could choose from. Cooking… Charisma… Detection… Stealth… Then I saw a skill that caught my eye: Blacksmithing. If I remember rightly, blacksmiths make weapons and armor and other equipment. A blacksmith must know a lot about what equipment is best. Lisbeth noticed my interest in this skill.

"If you want to put points into Blacksmithing you might want to increase your Appraisal skill too." I took her advice and put 125 points into Blacksmithing and 125 into Appraisal.

"Thanks a lot, Lisbeth, for all the advice. I'll put it to good use. Anyway, I'll see you later," I said. But, as I turned to walk deeper into the fields, Lisbeth grabbed my arm. "What is it?"

"Listen, Akuma. I kinda want to stay with you for a little while. You think that, maybe, we could start a party together?" I was pretty surprised at this but I nodded. She opened her menu and invited me into her party. After that, both of us walked into the fields and grinded for EXP until the sun went down.

END OF CHAPTER X


	11. Chapter 11

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XI

POV: Ai

January 20, 2023

My name is Ai Kako. I used to live in Matsuyama, Japan, but I moved to Kyoto last summer. While I was in Matsuyama, I met someone pretty special. All his friends called him Hikaru, which was the name he used when he played games. I never asked him why he always went by his online alias rather than his real name, but he was spontaneous so I went with it. After a while, I started to get attached to him and eventually fell in love with him (if you were confused, I'm a girl). I knew that he like me too, but by the time I was ready to tell him how I feel I found out I was going to have to move to Kyoto. I was heartbroken. I would probably never see him again. The worst part: I treated him like a deity. He was my best friend. I even started calling him Karu to show him he meant a lot to me. I didn't want to hurt him, so I told him that I lied about him being my best friend and that he was creepy and I was glad I was moving. It worked… maybe a little too much. I heard that he wanted to kill himself after I told him off. He didn't kill himself, thank God, but he did hate me after that. I guess I got what I wanted. He still doesn't know that it was all for his sake. But, why was I attracted to Karu in the first place? Well, you see, Karu is a massive nerd and played a lot of MMO's. I also dwelled in the virtual world. Some of my most cherished moments are related to me playing online with Karu. When I moved, however, he cut off all connection to me. He even blocked my phone number. I was pretty upset about that but I did it for Karu, so I just did what I did before I met him in the hopes of forgetting I ever met him. Unfortunately, that was still playing games online. But I think I've told you enough about my relationship with Karu. Let's go over where I was in 2022. It was simultaneously paradise and hell. It's a little place that both made my dreams a reality and crushed them to bits. A floating castle called Aincrad in a VRMMORPG called Sword Art Online for the new Virtual Reality gaming console called the Nerve Gear. How about we go over what happened on January 20, 2023.

I was, of course, in SAO. Floor 19 to be exact. I was surrounded by some strong bear-like monsters and no matter how many sword skills I used I never killed any of them. I thought it was all over. I thought these monsters were going to kill me.

"Somebody please help me!" I shouted. When nothing happened I curled into a ball and cried, waiting for the monsters to kill me. Then, similar to the Nerve Gear thing from earlier, something happened that was both a miracle and a bad omen.

"Phantom Strike!" someone yelled. I didn't see who it was. Suddenly, a flash of black seemingly phased through one of the monsters and a giant purple shard appeared through it. Another dark flash and another big shard through another one of the monsters. Eventually, all of the monsters were impaled by giant purple spikes. They all exploded, killing the monsters. I was so shocked and relieved. I looked around for whoever saved me. There was a person in a long black jacket in the middle of the clearing. That was the guy that helped me. I got up to walk to him but, when he turned around, I realized that my savior was a face I thought I would never get to see again. It was Hikaru. I was overjoyed to see him, but he looked less than thrilled to see me.

"Oh, it's just you. I thought you were someone else," he said, turning to walk away. He stopped for a couple seconds, sighed, and opened his menu. A red stick appeared in his hand and he tossed it to me. It was a flare.

"Just don't set anything on fire." With that, he walked off, seemingly blending in with the shadows caused by the light reflecting from the moon. I wanted to follow him, but what if he caught me? He would be so pissed. What would I do if I did follow him anyway? I wasn't sure why, but I decided to follow him. He walked to town and went to the teleportation stone. I made the stupidest mistake of my life and, just as the teleportation ceased, I ran into the platform. To my surprise I was teleported to the same place Karu went. As I got there Karu was already stepping down from the platform. I hid before he felt my presence. He walked to the inn and entered the building. I had no idea what floor I was on, so I opened my menu and had to keep myself from fainting.

I was on floor 58. 58! I was only level 30 at this point! Being the same level as the floor number was bad enough; the floor number was almost twice my level! I'm so stupid. Now that I think about it I was more dead than stupid. I frantically ran onto the teleportation platform and tried to teleport to floor 19. Nothing happened. Since the floor number was higher than my level I shouldn't be allowed to teleport here. Since I normally can't get in on my own, I can't get out on my own either. I was stuck here. Since I didn't want to sound stupid I didn't ask anyone around for help. Instead, I went into the inn. I walked to the counter.

"A couple minutes ago, a player wearing a black jacket came in here. His name is most likely Hikaru. Can you tell me what room he's staying in?" I said to the NPC at the counter.

"For the disclosure of a player's room number, I am charging 1,000 col," he said. I paid him and he told me where Karu was.

"The player Hikaru is staying in room 450."

"Thanks." I went up the stairs to the fourth floor and walked down the hall until I found room 450. I could hear talking inside. I stood outside with my ear against the door for a little while. It sounded like three other people besides Karu were in there. "Who else is in there?" I asked myself. I listened very closely.

"What did you say about floor 35?" I heard Karu ask one of the other people in the room.

"On Christmas Eve of this year there will be an event on floor 35. I don't know what we'll be able to get from it but it must be pretty special for it to happen only once on Christmas Eve," another voice said. I was surprised to find that it was a female voice. Karu has been traveling with a girl? Am I completely out of the picture?

"I say we talk about grinding. Today, we all split up and grinded in the fields. How did all of you do?" said a male voice that I thought sounded familiar. I couldn't remember who it was though. "I gained four levels. Now I'm level 42!"

"I gained five. I'm at level 40 now," said a different female voice.

"I started at level 32 and stopped at 35, so I gained three," said the same female voice from before, "What about you, Hikaru? How many levels did you get?"

"I got one."

"I can never remember, so what level are you now?"

"Let me see…" the menu opening sound rang, "I am… level 72 now." 72!? What are you doing on floor 58 with these low-level wimps? And why haven't you cleared the game yet?

"Also I got this really cool and rare weap…" Karu stopped talking. Everything on the other side of the door was silent. I wondered if something happened. I waited for about ten seconds. Then, the door flew open, pushing me to the ground. Karu grabbed me from around the edge of the door and flung me on one of the beds in the room. As I rolled onto my back I saw that Karu's sword was pointed at my nose and my heart skipped a beat. He sighed when he realized it was me.

"Ai, what the hell are you doing here?!"

END OF CHAPTER XI


	12. Chapter 12

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XII

POV: Ai

January 20, 2022

"I-I-I…" I couldn't think of anything to say. All I could think about was Karu's sword. Was he really going to kill me? Would he even think about killing me? Did he think I was a threat? Why did I follow him here?

"Answer me dammit!" Karu was getting really impatient now.

"I… I just wanted to thank you," I managed to say. He did stop me from getting killed after all. In fact, if he was ever going to kill me he probably would have after he saved me. Why isn't he taking his sword away then?

"What did you hear?" And this is where I decided to be stupid again.

"What did I hear? Well it probably wasn't important. Just what level you are and that you have a rare weapon. Actually, would you mind finishing that thought?" Karu waved his sword very quickly. So fast, in fact, that at first I didn't notice the cut he made below my eye. He hurt me. I could use this against him too.

"Did I make you mad? Well, looks like you have a problem bigger than me now. You hurt me, so now you're a Red Player."

"Look again, genius." I looked up and his cursor was still green, "You only become a red player if you take out an eighth of another player's health unofficially. If you can remember how to do simple math you'll find that I only dealt you one damage, which is nowhere near the one eighth point."

"Alright fine! You caught me, what do you want? Money? Items? Info?" I just wanted to go back to a lower floor. Why was I doing this?

"Hmmm… What do you think, Shika? What should we do about this situation?" Karu turned to one of the other girls in the room. I didn't recognize her.

"Umm… Well we could always have her join us. An extra hand is always good," she said.

"That's a good option. Ai, what level are you?" Crap, he's going to find out that I'm not allowed on this floor. Do I lie? I've done it before… Screw it.

"I'm level 60. A strong addition to any party, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, I would say a level 60 player would be a useful addition. If only I know where to get a level 60 player. Now, tell me your real level." Dammit, he caught my lie.

"I'm… level 30…"

"Tell me then, how did you get here? The floor number is almost twice your level, there's no way you teleported here on your own."

"I… sorta… teleported with you…"

"What?! How did you… Ugh! You are so irritating sometimes." Did he really think that? Was I ever irritating when I lived in Matsuyama? Karu pulled up his menu and a screen appeared in front of me.

Will you accept Hikaru's friend request?

"K-Karu-"

"Don't call me that! And don't take this the wrong way. I'm sending you this request because you're joining our party and I need to keep an eye on you in case we get separated." He wasn't forgiving me. Well, I guess he really can't adequately forgive me since he doesn't know I lied to him.

"If that's how it is, maybe I won't press that button!" A wind hit my face (or at least that's what it felt like) and the point Hikaru's sword was half a millimeter from my glabella. Frantically, I pressed the blue O to accept his request.

"That's what I thought," he said as he sheathed his sword, "It's late. You guys should get some sleep."

"Where are you going?" said the girl I didn't recognize.

"I'm going to guard the door to make sure our new recruit doesn't try anything stupid." You were a little late on that one. I just buried my face in the pillow and fell asleep.

The next morning someone was shaking me awake.

"Ai. Ai! It's time to go," she said. When I opened my eyes I saw Kimi, another one of my friends from Matsuyama, over me.

"Alright, I'm up. Why are we up so early?"

"Since you're such a low level, we need to do some grinding so you'll stand some chance against the new enemies," said someone from across the room. It was Rei, the one person Hikaru spent most of the time with when he wasn't alone.

"Where's Hikaru?" I asked him.

"He left already. He went to some of the lower floors to find a good grinding spot."

"Then where are we going?"

"Hikaru left us some money to buy new equipment for you. So, what weapon are you using?"

"I have a rapier."

"So you're most likely a speed type… How about we choose your new weapon first? That way you're more attack oriented and we won't go overboard on the armor."

"Sounds nice. Alright, what are we waiting for?" I was not happy to be forced into Hikaru's party. At least now I had some protection but why couldn't it have been someone else? Actually, shouldn't I be glad I'm with Hikaru? Maybe I can tell him that I lied to him and that I want to be his friend. I'd probably have to wait a while to do that. Until then, I had some gear to buy.

END OF CHAPTER XII


	13. Chapter 13

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XIII

POV: Ai

January 21, 2023

My new set of equipment included a light green suit and a cape that went from my waist to my ankles. My new rapier was called Oceanic Flash. It was fast and strong and I was looking forward to using it. I have to admit, I really liked this new set. It all matched too so I wouldn't freak out. I get like that when I play games and my outfit doesn't match.

"Hikaru just messaged me," Rei told us, "He said there are some suitable monsters on floor 48. Come on, let's not keep him waiting." When we got to floor 48 Hikaru was waiting for us at the edge of town.

"I see you found Ai some dependable gear, that's always good. Now, let's see what we have here," he said, leading us into the forest where the monsters would spawn. He stopped and pointed to giant spider enemy.

"That's our first target. Ai, go ahead and attack it first. We'll come in if you get in any danger."

"Why do I have to be the one to kill it?" I protested.

"Because you're the one that needs the EXP. We're all a higher level than you, so get to it." I looked at the health bar next to the spider. Level 39, it said. That's nine levels above me. I'll have to open up with a sword skill. Alright, here goes nothing.

I charged at the enemy, rapier in hand. "Million Stabs!" I shouted as my sword glowed green. I thrusted it many times at the spider, its health bar going down to the yellow point. It spat an orange liquid at me. I didn't take much damage, but a little lightning bolt appeared next to my health bar. Crap! I was paralyzed! I can't move now. The spider bit me several times. My health bar depleted to the red point. I tried to get up but I couldn't move no matter how hard I tried.

"Flash Thrust!" someone behind me yelled. Hikaru appeared in front of me and stabbed the spider, killing it. My paralysis also ended. Although, instead of healing me or helping me off the ground, Hikaru just walked off. Eventually the girl I didn't recognize helped me up. Maybe now would be a good time to ask her name.

"Before I forget to ask you, what's your name?" I asked her.

"My name is Shika. Hikaru has told me a couple things about you," she replied.

"Was it… negative?"

"It wasn't ALL negative. He told me how much he liked you before you told him off. He was telling me that you were everything to him. If you don't mind me asking, why would you do that to someone who you knew liked you?" I was silent for a few seconds.

"Maybe I'll tell you later. But, if I do, you have to promise you won't tell Kar… I mean Hikaru. I need to tell him myself."

"Okay, I won't tell anyone." For the next hour and a half I grinded with Hikaru's party, watching how skilled he was and how he seemed to know everything about each enemy we came across. I would almost say I enjoyed it, being able to spend time playing online with my best friend. Only, this time was different. Karu didn't think of me as his friend anymore. If anything, I was his enemy.

POV: Hikaru

January 21, 2023

Who does she think she is? She thinks that after what she did to me I can just go "Oh no, it's all good, don't worry about it"? Sorry, sister, but that's not how life works. You screw over someone that was very close to you and you may never win them over again. Anyway, frustrating and mental energy consuming ventilation aside, we killed about fifteen enemies and Ai gained eight levels. Progress, I guess. Now, I did come here because the monsters were suitable but there was also a smith in town that I wanted to see. Everyone I talked to that had been there said it was great. Hopefully he could tell me more about that rare weapon I found. I looked at the sign above the shop and read it. "Lisbeth's Smith Shop" it said. I remember what Diabel told me to do before he died. _Tell a player named Lisbeth that I didn't make it…_ Was this who he was talking about? I hope so. I walked into the shop along with everyone else in my party and was greeted by a person's voice.

"Afternoon, players, and welcome to… No way…" the guy behind the counter said. As I looked at him, my heart skipped a beat. I'd recognize that blonde bowl haircut from a mile away.

"Akuma! Finally, we found you!" I exclaimed. We high-fived and were frantically looking for words to express our surprise and excitement.

"Where have you been this whole time? We've looked everywhere for you!"

"I was aimlessly wondering around the floors that were available. Eventually I found a player generous enough to teach me about this game. So, is there a reason you came to a smith shop?" I turned to my party that was awkwardly standing around looking at us.

"You guys have a look around," I turned back to Akuma, "A couple days ago I got this item from a boss raid with a rarity level of 9. You think you could tell me a little about it?"

"I might be able to. I'm going to have to see this item first before I can appraise it." I opened my menu and took out the sword in its sheath. When I dropped it in Akuma's arms it was so heavy his arms hit the counter in front of him. As he took the blade out of the sheath and laid it on the counter he gasped.

"This is… a Lun Reaper! How… Where… This is one of the most powerful one-handed swords you can get in the game, and the most powerful magic sword to boot! I've only ever heard of them, I didn't know that you could actually get one!" The Lun Reaper was a completely black sword. The only part of it that wasn't black was the bright white stone between the handle and the blade. The blade had writing on it that read 影の剣, which means "Sword of Shadow." Its stats were higher than any sword I have seen. I wanted to learn more about it, so I kept it in my inventory. I never brought it out until now.

"Oh, so it's an extremely powerful magic sword, eh? How much do you think I could sell it for?" I asked.

"I don't think anyone would have the money to buy something like that. If you wanted to make good use of it, keeping it and using it as your primary weapon would be your best bet," Akuma replied.

"I see… Well, you are the expert!" I put my old sword in my inventory and equipped the Lun Reaper, "If you don't mind I'd like to have a look around. I'll let you know if I find something I'm interested in."

"Make yourselves at home!"

I looked at every weapon and armor piece he had. They were all generic, nothing really special about anything. Nothing surpassed my current equipment and nothing looked good enough to sell and make a profit from. Then, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked over to see the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on.

In the corner of the room was a display case. And in that display case was an item, two in fact that I never would have guessed would be in an RPG like SAO. A shiny, perfect pair of dual pistols rested in that display case. I had to force myself not to break it open and steal them. Dual pistols! What are they doing here? Why are these beautiful abominations in my MMORPG? I don't know if I should be offended or overjoyed. Regardless, I wanted those pistols.

"Akuma, how much?" I asked him.

"How much for what?" he pretended to not know what I was talking about.

"These pistols! How much do you want for them?"

"Oh, you mean Izanami and Izanagi? They are really convenient to have. They can be equipped as a one handed-weapon collectively, so you can have any one-handed weapon and both these guns equipped at the same time. As for cost, sorry, Hikaru, but those aren't for sale." I think that after he said that I died inside. Not for sale…

"But, that doesn't mean you can't get them another way." My heart raced as I ran to the counter.

"What do I have to do? I'll do anything!"

"If you can get me a Crystallite Ingot from the mountains on floor 55, I will give you those pistols as a reward instead of money." A screen appeared in front of me.

Will you accept this quest?

"Sacred Guns"

Quest giver: Akuma (Player)

Objective: Collect Crystallite Ingot X 1

"Floor 55… Okay, Ai, you're going to help me with this quest as punishment for eavesdropping on us last night." Ai turned to me with an annoyed look on her face.

"But I thought that joining your party was my punishment!" she protested.

"No, that was punishment for… something else." Ai understood what I meant and stopped protesting.

"Okay, fine. When are we leaving?"

"Right now," I said enthusiastically as I clicked the O and accepting the quest.

"What are we supposed to do while you're gone?" Kimi asked.

"Go do some grinding. Go on a couple quests and level up while I'm gone. I'll be back, Akuma. Don't let anyone near those guns before I'm half dead and handing you the brightest Crystallite Ingot you've ever seen!" With that, I walked out of the shop with Ai and walked down the street to the teleportation stone.

"Teleport, floor 55!" I commanded. I didn't like the fact that I had to take Ai with me, but I didn't have a choice. This would be a good source of EXP for her. Also, I need to see if she's worth keeping around. And while we're on the subject of Ai, I suspect something about what she told me before she moved. For how close we grew and how well we got along and how well we played together back in the day, did she really hate me the whole time? She kept up that lie for such a long time. Or, maybe I'm missing something. Maybe there's another side to Ai that I've never seen. I wonder…

END OF CHAPTER XIII


	14. Chapter 14

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XIV

POV: Ai

January 21, 2023

I was so stupid. Why did I follow Hikaru to floor 58? What did I plan to do if I got to talk to him? It's not like I was thinking about telling him about the lie. Now I was going places with him that were too high of a level for me. He already hates you and you know it, why did you do that? Anyway, the mountains of floor 55 were covered in snow and very cold. I was freezing to death but Hikaru didn't seem to pay any mind to it.

"How are you not shivering? It's freezing out here!" I asked him.

"I've been here like ten times already. I'm used to it by now," he replied as he pulled up his menu and got out a furred coat. He tossed it to me.

"You won't need this?"

"No, I'm good; you probably need it more than me anyway." Hikaru wasn't being as mean as I thought he would be. Was he forgiving me? Probably not, he wouldn't be so quick to forgive someone after doing something bad to him, especially after what I did. He may never trust me again. Heck, he probably doesn't trust me even now. This is really bugging me, maybe now would be a good time to tell him and get it off my chest. Did I really want to? Do I really have to? Remember, I made him so upset when I told him off. Maybe it would be best if I told him. I mean, at least now I know that I can see him easily in game. If we ever get out of here, maybe there will be another VRMMO I can meet him?

Alright, that settles it. I'm telling him that I lied and that I still think he is my best friend. If he doesn't forgive me, if me curses me, or even if he thinks I made it up to make him feel better, so be it. It was probably never meant to be anyway in that case. Of course I hoped he would forgive me, but I can only hope. Well, here goes nothing.

We stepped into a clearing surrounded by crystals.

"Hikaru, there's something I need to tell you. I've been meaning to tell you for a while and I should have sooner," I said quietly.

"Go ahead. We're going to be spending a lot of time alone anyway," he said back to me.

"Hikaru… I just wanted you to know that-" I never got to finish my sentence. A loud roar could be heard almost right in front of us.

"Watch out! Somethings coming! Go hide behind one of those crystals!" Hikaru shouted and pointed to a cluster of crystals.

"But, you have to know this!" I protested.

"Dammit Ai, quit arguing with me! Just hide and don't let the enemy see you!" I ran to the crystals he had pointed to and ducked beneath them. I'll tell him later.

Suddenly a dragon with crystals covering the area of his neck, back, and tail appeared. It let out an ear-shattering cry before swooping down and landing on a giant collection of crystals. It opened its mouth and a sort of blue energy formed a ball in it. The ball then grew larger until it fired a beam at Hikaru. It was a breath attack, one that would be hard to dodge since it was traveling so fast. It made contact with Hikaru and I thought he was done for. But, when the dust cleared, it appeared as though he deflected the attack with his sword. He was totally fine. How did he do that so fast? He was like an expert at this game.

"Flash Thrust!" he shouted as his sword glowed and he charged at the dragon. It was such a strong hit that the dragon staggered backward a couple meters. He was so strong. He must be on the assault team. Although I knew Hikaru could manage this thing, I wanted to attack it. I know I shouldn't risk it, I'm probably not strong enough, but I could get some serious EXP from this. I'd just use one sword skill on it and hide again. That wouldn't be too bad, right?

"Million Stabs!" I shouted and ran toward the dragon. I stabbed it multiple times very quickly, but its health bar barely moved. Crap, I made a huge mistake.

"Ai, what are you doing?! I told you to stay hidden!" Hikaru shouted. The dragon turned to me, its eyes glowing blue. It hit me with its tail and I went flying backward. By the time I realized what had happened there was a huge hole in the ground right below me. If there was ever going to be a time in which I was so close to death I could see it, it was now. I was done for.

I felt someone grab my arm as I fell.

"Hang on! It's going to be a hard landing!" It was Hikaru. He jumped into the hole to save me. Did this mean that he really did care about me? Maybe I was wrong and he had forgiven me? I wish I knew.

By the time I woke up I was at the bottom of the whole. I was probably out for a minute at least. Hikaru was getting up too.

"I told you not to let the enemy see you. Why did have to go and do that?" He sounded really pissed.

"I'm sorry. I thought that if I could help you kill it I'd get some EXP from it. I didn't know that I would be so useless." What else was I supposed to say? If I was ready to tell him I lied I was ready to stop lying to him.

"Well I hope you're happy. Now we're stuck in a pit and have to way of getting out! Real nice going."

"I'm sorry. Let me try messaging someone." I pulled up my menu and tried messaging Kimi but it didn't go through. I looked over and Hikaru had a teleportation crystal in his hand.

"Teleport, floor 48!" Nothing happened. "I guess we're stuck here until either we find a way out or someone comes to find us. It's going to be dark soon, so I'm going to set up camp. We'll be here a while."

"Do you need any help?"

"No. I can do this on my own."

That night we lay in our sleeping bags with a lamp in between us. It was silent for a long time. I thought I should probably say something but what would I say? Just say you're sorry. That's all you can really do.

"Hey, Hikaru, I'm really sorry I got us in this mess," I said to him.

"Hmmm…" It took him a while to collect his thoughts, "Just don't do something stupid like that again."

"Okay… Also, there's something I need to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"Why did you jump in to save me like that?" It was silent for another ten seconds.

"Let me tell you something. You were in the plaza at Kayaba's speech, right?"

"Yeah, I was there."

"Well, about ten minutes before everyone was teleported to the plaza, a player named Akira challenged me to a duel. When his health bar hit 50%, the duel had ended. But, we thought that there would only be a winner if one player's health bar reached 0. So we kept fighting, and I won. But, since, Akira's health bar was depleted, he died. Then Kayaba told us what happens if your HP hits 0. That's why I saved you. Friend or foe, it didn't matter anymore. If I ever met another player in immediate danger and risk of dying, I'd rather die trying to save them then watch them get killed. If hadn't broken your fall, you would have died, I'm sure of it. I knew you would die if I didn't help you. That's why I saved you."

"You knew… and you still helped me. Hikaru… thank you so much!" I could barely keep myself from crying.

"Don't mention it. By the way, before that dragon attacked us you were going to tell me something. What was it again?"

"Oh yeah. Um, it was nothing. It wasn't really that important." There I go again. Lying to not only Hikaru again, but lying to myself. Would I ever be ready to tell him? Should I tell him? Screw it; I'm too tired to be thinking about this now. I'll think it over tomorrow.

END OD CHAPTER XIV


	15. Chapter 15

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XV

POV: Ai

January 22, 2023

The next morning I woke up and saw Hikaru digging in the snow. I didn't know what he was doing so I got up and walked over to him.

"What are you looking for?" I asked plainly.

"Here, check this out," Hikaru replied, holding out a small group of crystals with a rounded base. I touched it and an item description came up. "Crystallite Ingot" it said.

"You found one! That means you're getting those pistols you wanted. Congrats."

"Here hold onto it for me," he said, tossing it to me. I put it away in my item storage. "By the way," he added, "That ingot is dragon excrement. Just thought I'd warn you." It took a couple seconds for me to register what he just said.

"Umm… did you say… excrement?"

"Yep."

"Excrement as in… poop?"

"Yep. Now you can go to all your friends and say 'I held some dragon poop!'"

"Hikaru, you are such a jerk!" We both laughed. That was the first time in forever that we shared a laugh like that. "But, what is dragon waste doing down here?"

"That's simple. This isn't just some random ditch, it's that dragon's nest."

"Oh, I get it now!... But, wait this nest belongs to the same dragon from yesterday?"

"Well, I don't know for sure, but it could be."

"But dragons are nocturnal so wouldn't it be coming…" We both looked up and, to our horror, we saw that same dragon from yesterday dive bombing into the nest. We were in big trouble now. Hikaru ran to the edge of the pit.

"Ai, give me your hand!" he commanded.

"What?! Why?" I asked.

"Just do it!" I hesitated. Then I decided to be stupid again.

"No way am I going to give you my hand!"

"Dammit Ai! Fine, but don't blame me if you get hurt! Phantom Gale!" His sword glowed an ominous light purple and he swung it around him twice. A dark fog erupted from his sword and stayed in the air.

"Wait, Hikaru!" I regretted not letting him take my hand. Then, the dragon landed on the bottom of the pit behind me. It hit me with its tail and I went flying toward the wall. It glared at me with those blue eyes again. It opened its mouth and a blue ball appeared in it. It was charging up that breath attack. Where was Hikaru? Why didn't I give him my hand? Why have I been such a jerk to him? It's not like I want him to hate me. I should have told him everything last night. I had so many regrets. But, as the deep, purple fog surrounded me, I knew that it was all over.

Then, out of the ominous fog came a figure. It was Hikaru, with his badass magic sword raised above his head, ready to bring it down and deliver a strong blow to the dragon's neck. As he and the dragon slammed against the wall the fog dispersed and Hikaru jumped back in front of me.

"Ai!" he shouted at me.

"What?" I shouted back.

"I need you to set up a timer for ten seconds. Start it when I say go and the moment it stops you shout to me at the top of your lungs that time's up. Got it?"

"I'm on it!" I pulled up my menu and set up a timer for ten seconds like he asked. The dragon got up and stared at Hikaru. It was surprisingly calm, but even more so tense. Suddenly, the dragon lunged at Hikaru.

"Go!" he shouted as he dodged the attack. I started the timer.

"Time starts now!" I told him.

"Phantom Strike!" His sword glowed a dark purple and he slashed through the dragon's chest. He ran along the wall and slashed through its arm. This was the same move he used to save me from the monsters in the forest. It almost looked as though he was teleporting around the dragon, making giant purple spikes pierce it. He moved faster than any other player I've seen. The timer went off.

"Time's up, Hikaru!" I yelled as loud as I could. He slashed through the chest one more time and, in mid-air, he sheathed his sword. All the spikes in the dragon exploded, its health bar went down extremely fast. Hikaru landed in front me facing away from the dragon, his hand still on his sword, although it was sheathed, and the dragon exploded into thousands of little blue triangles. That. Was. So. Incredible.

"Hikaru… Where in Aincrad did you lean to do that?" I asked him ecstatically.

"I taught myself how to do it. It took some practice before I was able to use that skill so quickly like that. By the way, thanks for setting up the timer, it really helped." A results screen appeared in front of me and Hikaru.

"Wait, why did I get rewards from that? You did all the attacking," I told him.

"Remember yesterday when you did a Million Stabs on the dragon?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Apparently we never left the designated battle area around the dragon, so it retained the damage we had done to it from yesterday. Now, if I remember correctly, you've leveled up about… six times for all that EXP?" He was right. I was level 38, but now I was level 44.

"Wow, so the dragon was right there the whole time, even when we were sleeping, and it never showed itself. Who knew?"

"Yeah, but remember, we aren't totally safe just yet. We're still stuck in this nest. What do you think we should do?"

"That's a good question…" We thought for about five minutes.

"I know! We can try running up the wall!" Hikaru exclaimed.

"Oh give me a break! That's insane! There is no way that would ever work."

"Yes it will. Here's the plan: I have a rope in my item storage. I'm going to run up the wall and once I'm out I'll throw the rope down and pull you up. How about it?"

"Oh, alright. You better make it up there."

"Here I go." He stepped back a couple steps, took a big breath, and sprinted at the wall from an angle. He ran along the edge of the pit in a spiral formation. I was impressed. Fifty seconds later, he made it out of the hole. How did he do that?

"I'm impressed, Hikaru! Now let the rope down!" I yelled to him.

"I'm on it!" He threw the rope down and I grabbed it. Hikaru began pulling me up out of the pit. When we got out we used a teleportation crystal to go back to floor 48. Hikaru stepped into the shop like he had just cleared the game.

"Akuma, better polish those guns, because I just found you a Crystallite Ingot!" he exclaimed.

"Alright, let's see it," Akuma pleaded. Hikaru looked to me and I got the ingot out from my menu.

"Yes, that will certainly do! Alright, a deal's a deal. Here you go, Izanagi and Izanami, the best guns you'll ever see in an MMO." Akuma handed him the guns along with holsters. He equipped them and they hung around his waist, attached to his belt.

"Thanks Akuma, I'll put them to good use."

POV: Hikaru

January 22, 2023

"By the way, Akuma," I started, "The sign outside says Lisbeth's Smith Shop. Is Lisbeth here right now?" I had to tell her that Diabel didn't make it.

"I don't know. She had to run a few errands and left me to tend to the customers. If you want I can give her a message for you." The door beside the counter opened and a girl in a short red dress, boots that went up to her knees, and pink hair walked into the room.

"Hey, Akuma, could you help me with…" she noticed me standing in front of the counter, "Oh, I'm sorry! Are you busy? Don't worry about it, then. It can wait." Akuma started to say something but I stopped him.

"Are you Lisbeth?" I asked the girl.

"As a matter of fact I am. But you can call me Lis. Can I help you with anything?" she asked.

"No, I don't need any help. I have a message from a player named Diabel. Do you know him?"

"Diabel? Oh, you mean Oliver? Yeah, I know him. He's like my best friend in the real world. But I haven't seen him since that boss raid back on floor 1. I've been really worried about him. Do you know him? How is he doing?"

"I'm sorry, Lisbeth, but Diabel, I mean Oliver, died during the boss raid. He was going after the last attack bonus and the boss used an unexpected move and killed him. I'm sorry…" Lisbeth froze, her face covered in a shadow.

"I see… Thank you for letting me know," a tear rolled down her cheek, "I know Oliver would appreciate knowing you got that message to me."

Outside, Akuma and Lis waved to us as we left.

"Remember, you're always welcome to come back here and get maintenance done on your gear." Lis said.

"And, Hikaru, make sure you don't get killed, got it?" Akuma remarked.

"Got it. Same goes for you," I said to him. I walked off and my party teleported to floor 58. But, I had some other things to do. When they left, I headed for floor 60. I was so close to discovering the boss room there. But, as I made my way to the labyrinth, I thought about Ai. She was trying to tell me something before that dragon attacked us. She said it was nothing later but when I told her to hide she acted like it was imperative that I listened to what she had to say. Well, whatever it was she wanted to let me know, I'm sure it was something about how much of a creep I was. After all, she hates me. She has for the past five years.

END OF CHAPTER XV


	16. Chapter 16

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XVI

POV: Hikaru

December 24, 2023

Today is Christmas Eve and my party was celebrating staying alive long enough to see it. I, however, was busy. I know, it sucks, but Kimi was telling me about this event that was supposed to be happening tonight. Somewhere in the Forest of Wandering on floor 35 would be an enemy. If I could defeat that enemy I would get a special item. Now, Kimi wasn't 100% sure about this, but rumors said that the item from this event would be able to revive dead players. Frankly, I don't know how that's possible. In fact, I bet it's a hoax. Kayaba specifically said that death in the game was death in the real world, and we can't revive the dead. But I had promised that I would do anything I could to ensure that everyone got back to the real world. So, just like with the last attack bonus from the first boss, I was taking my chances.

"The event is taking place at the biggest fir tree in the forest. If I can climb one of these trees I should be able to scan the entire forest for it…" I murmured to myself. As I walked over to the closest tree I heard a rustling in the bushes to my right. I drew my sword.

"Who's there? If you're after the event boss he's mine. Come fight me if you want him!" I shouted at whatever made that sound. After a few seconds, Kimi walked out of the shadows.

"Sorry about that," I said, "I thought you were someone else."

"Listen, Hikaru, this boss you're looking for… It's supposed to be really strong," Kimi said.

"I know…"

"I… I don't want you to fight it alone. You could get killed."

"I know…"

"I'm going with you."

"No, you're not."

"Why not? I'm just as capable as anyone."

"I know you're capable, and I appreciate the fact that you want to help me. But I don't want you to come with me for the same reason you don't want me going alone. If this boss is as strong as you say it is then you'd be more likely to die than me if we both went. You mean a lot to me, all of you do. That's why I don't want you doing anything too dangerous. If it could kill me, it could certainly kill you. Thank you though." I turned to continue my search for the tree but Kimi grabbed my sleeve.

"Hikaru… Please, just let me come with you. I don't care if I get killed I just want you to be safe." I paused to consider whether or not I should let her come along. By now she was level 55, that's pretty solid for floor 35. I was level 80. The main question was if Kimi was in trouble, could I protect her? I did some quick evaluating.

Event bosses are usually several levels above regular bosses. We were on floor 35, so the floor boss was probably level 40 or so. That would put the event boss somewhere between level 45 and 48. If Kimi was level 55 and me 80, we were both theoretically stronger than this boss. Does that mean that Kimi would be fine? If that was so, and Kimi was desperate for me to let her come with me, maybe I should…

"Kimi, if I let you come along, you have to promise to do everything I tell you. I don't want to take any unnecessary risks, and I want to keep you safe. Can you do that for me?" I asked her. Her eyes seemingly lit up and she threw her arms around me.

"I will! Thank you so much for letting me come with you!" she exclaimed.

"Alright, I'm going to climb up that tree and scan the forest for the tree where the boss is supposed to be. You stay down here and keep watch. If anything happens, you let me know, got it?"

"Yeah, leave it to me!" I walked to the tree and ran up the side of it. I reached the top and looked over the forest until I saw a massive fir tree about five hundred meters east. That was our tree. I went back down the tree where Kimi was waiting for me.

"Did you see anything?" I asked her.

"I did see another player but he said he was looking for his party that he got separated from a few hours earlier. He seemed okay to me," she replied.

"Are you sure he didn't look suspicious?"

"Yeah, just another player." I decided to trust Kimi and she followed me to the tree I had identified as the tree where the boss was. When we got there the tree was surrounded by a huge opening, I guessed to provide room for the fight.

"Where is the boss?" Kimi asked me.

"Look up," I told her. We both looked up and there was a silhouette of a sled flying across the sky, leaving a glowing blue trail behind it.

"Wow… It's beautiful…" Kimi said.

"Wait, I think the boss is on his way," I told her. Then, a huge figure appeared, falling from where the sled had flown. It landed in front of the tree. It was the event boss. It looked kind of like Santa Clause, if Santa was a meth addict. His skin was green and wrinkled and his clothes were torn, and he held an axe in his right hand. Four health bars and a red cursor appeared. Above the cursor was the boss' name: Nicholas the Renegade. But when I saw the boss' level I almost fainted. It was level 60. This was bad, and now Kimi was in danger. I had to take this thing out as fast as possible.

"Phantom Strike!" I dashed at the boss, struck it until my ten seconds were up, and sheathed my sword. The first health bar was completely depleted. Kimi charged at it and tried to get a hit in.

"Cyclone Slash!" Her dagger glowed blue and she leapt at the enemy. Nicholas saw it coming, though, and he swatted her away. She landed in the snow and skidded across the ground. Her HP gauge was yellow.

"Kimi! Dammit!" Nicholas lifted up his axe. He was about to kill Kimi.

"No you don't! Shadow Phase!" I ran as fast as I could to where Kimi was and blocked Nicholas' axe. "Kimi, go around him and strike him from behind!"

"Okay." She got up and ran around the boss. "Cyclone Slash!" This time, she was able to land a decent hit. I pushed his axe aside and slashed at his leg. He roared and fell to the ground.

"Dragon's Claw!" My sword glowed a deep red and I started hitting Nicholas' chest multiple times. He was down to his last HP gauge. He reared his head back and opened his mouth, and a blue light covered his mouth area. He was charging up an ice breath attack.

"Kimi, don't move! I can handle this!" She obeyed and stayed put. "Blaze Coat!" My sword became covered in a fiery aura. Nicholas began breathing shards of ice. I knelt down and held my sword in front of me pointing upward. Just as I predicted, the ice melted and separated when I made contact with the blade. When the attack ended, the aura dispersed.

"Dragon's Claw!" I slashed at Nicholas one last time. He fell backward, his HP completely depleted. As he exploded into blue triangles I sheathed my sword and walked over to Kimi.

"Are you alright?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for blocking that attack, I thought I was done for." A results screen came up and the event item was there.

Divine Stone of Returning Soul

Revives a player whose HP has reached 0.

NOTE: Only works when used within ten seconds of complete HP depletion.

"So that's how it works! I was wondering how it would revive dead players. You can only use it in the short time before the player's brain is destroyed. Anyway, we better get back to-" But when I turned to look at Kimi I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

"Hikaru, this is the player I saw earlier!" Kimi shouted. Behind her was a person in a black cloak. Their hood covered their face in a shadow. The person had one arm around Kimi's neck and grasped a jagged knife in the other. But what really worried me was the emblem on the person's black glove.

A coffin. A coffin with an exaggerated face with its top being taken off, revealing a skeletal arm underneath, was on the back of the person's glove. I had seen this emblem before on wanted posters all over the towns of many floors. All of them were saying the same thing; if you see someone with this emblem, turn them in immediately. It was Laughing Coffin, the most powerful active murder guild in SAO.

"Comply with our demands and no one gets hurt, got it?" said the Laughing Coffin member.

"What do you want?" I asked him.

"I want that item you just got from the event boss. Hand it over or your friend is dead."

"Don't do it!" Kimi shouted at me.

"Shut up!" The player made a cut on Kimi's neck and her HP gauge turned red, "By the way, Laughing Coffin has you surrounded so no running away. Well then, what's it gonna be?" We did work hard to get this item, but it wasn't worth losing a life for the possibility of saving one. I tossed the item to the player.

"Now let her go," I demanded.

"Right, right, here's me letting her go," the player said as he released Kimi from his hold. She ran to me and buried her face in my chest. "Although, you do know where we are now and might try to follow us…"

"We won't follow you. Now just get out of here," I didn't want to spend another second with this murderer within ten meters of me.

"How can I know you won't? Oh well, looks like I'll just have to kill both of you after all." The player slowly walked toward me, his knife in his hand at his side.

"I gave you the revival item, so just leave us alone!" He continued walking toward us.

"Sorry, pal, but I can't just let you go and inform the authorities that you just ran into Laughing Coffin in the Forrest of Wandering. You're both done for."

"Listen to me Kimi, you need to get out a teleport crystal and teleport to floor 58 and head to the inn that everyone else is staying at. But only teleport when I say it's safe, okay?"

"Okay," Kimi sounded like she had been crying as she got out a teleport crystal and made her way behind me.

"If you're going to kill anyone you'll have to go through me first."

"With pleasure. But first, I'm going after that cute friend of yours!" He charged at me, his knife glowing a sickly green color. I drew my sword and blocked the attack.

"Go now, Kimi!" She disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"Dammit! Oh, you're really going to get it now! Venom Scissor!" The knife glowed dark green and the player slashed at my arm. A green symbol with bubbles on it appeared next to my health bar and it gradually depleted. I was poisoned.

"Dragon's Claw!" I started slashing at the player who, somehow, dodged every attack. He then slashed at my leg, causing me to topple over and fall to the ground. My HP gauge was almost down to 50% and my opponent's HP was more or less completely full. This was bad. "Shadow Phase!" I rolled out of the way of another attack, got up, and ran around my opponent. "Phantom Strike!" I slashed through the enemy about five times before sheathing my sword. My poison had worn off and the enemy's HP gauge was red. This guy was kinda weak for someone able to move so fast. I pointed my sword at his face.

"Get your buddies and get out. I better not see you or Laughing Coffin ever again. Got it?" I said to him.

"Fine, I'll get out of your hair. But, I can't promise you won't see me again." He got up to leave but I pushed him back down.

"Give me the revival item," I demanded.

"No way, man! It's mine now!" I made a long cut on his shoulder. "Alright, alright! Geez, you drive a hard bargain." He tossed the item back to me and I teleported to floor 58. When I walked back into the inn my party practically jumped out of their seats to greet me. Kimi was the first one to reach me.

"Hikaru! You're okay! Thank God you're okay!" she cried as she threw her arms around me.

"Yeah, I'm okay. How are you doing?" I asked her.

"I've been worried sick about you! I was afraid you wouldn't come back so I opened my friend list practically every five seconds!" Her eyes were full of tears and all I could think to do was hug her back.

END OF CHAPTER XVI


	17. Chapter 17

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XVII

POV: Hikaru

October 5, 2024

"Kimi, switch!" Kimi and I were grinding in the dungeon of floor 74. It's been almost two years since the death game started and we had made a significant amount of progress. We had almost the entire dungeon mapped, all we needed was the boss room. Then we were three-fourths of the way there.

"I'm on it!" Kimi ran up to the enemy we were facing called a Lizardman Lord. "Raging Whirlwind!" Her dagger glowed light green and she spun at the enemy. The Lizardman Lord raised its curved sword and charged at Kimi. Now was a good time to try out the sword skill I got for the guns.

"Rapid-fire Blaze!" I shouted as I sheathed my sword and pulled the guns out of their holsters. Izanami and Izanagi glowed red and I fired several burning energy blasts. The Lizardman Lord fell to the ground and exploded into blue triangles. "Nice job Kimi. I think it's time to look for the boss now."

"Okay," she replied as she followed my down the path. "Hey Hikaru, you went through a lot of trouble to get those guns, so why have you not used them until now?"

"Well, you see, when you're fighting by yourself it's best to stick to one main weapon for a single fight. And since I didn't have any sword skills for them until this morning I decided that sheathing my sword just for some coverage from a distance only to have to put the guns back and draw my sword again wasn't the best use of time while I was in a fight. So, I've just been sticking to my Lun Reaper."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. Also, where exactly did you get the Lun Reaper?"

"I got it from the boss on floor 50. It was the last attack bonus. Me and this other player who I assumed to be another Beta tester were fighting over who got it and we just left it up to chance."

"And, as always, you showed that you were the superior player?"

"You know me too well." We both laughed and I guess were too carried away to notice the pillar right in front of me. Alas, I walked right into it and fell to the ground. Kimi laughed so hard she fell to the ground along with me. At that moment I realized that despite the fact that we were stuck in this game where more and more people die in real life every day, no one seemed to care anymore. We were able to laugh and cry and talk to people about our feelings, almost as if we've lived here our whole lives. It's almost as if we we're actually living in a fantastical world in a floating steel castle that housed anthropomorphic piles of goo and dragons made of crystals. It was like this was the new reality and the real world never even existed.

"Is something wrong, Hikaru?" I had spaced out for so long that Kimi apparently wondered if I was still conscious.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just realized something," I told her.

"Oh? And what's that?" she asked, kneeling next to me.

"I just realized that people don't seem to care that we're trapped in a game where we could die for real at any moment. Just now we were laughing like nothing mattered except the fact that I just ran face first into a giant rock formation. It's like people think they've lived here their whole lives."

"I know exactly what you mean. There are some days, weeks even, where I don't think about the real world or the life I had two years ago. In fact, this is going to sound crazy, but life here isn't so bad. It's actually pretty good."

"I know, right? Ever since I entered this world, even during the Beta, I've felt more alive than I ever did in the real world."

"Oh, Hikaru, you would be the one person who would say something like that. But I know what you mean. Before I started playing online games life was kinda boring. But in here it's always exciting, like there's always something that must be done. It's quite exhilarating." Kimi lay down next to me and looked up at the dark ceiling above us. It was probably the most relaxing moment I had experienced in the past two years. I felt Kimi grab my hand. I looked over so see Kimi's glistening green eyes.

"Hikaru?" she whispered.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"If it weren't for you I would've been dead a long time ago. I'm glad I'm stuck in here with you."

"I'm just looking out for the people I care about. It's my job, what I'm really supposed to be doing while I'm here in this game with my friends that need my help. I'm glad I'm able to do that for you guys." Kimi smiled and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"You're so dumbfoundingly insane, Hikaru, but that's why I like you so much." About two minutes passed before the teleport sound effect rang.

"There you guys are. I've been looking for you." It was Shika. "What are you two doing out here napping? I thought you were level grinding."

"We were, then I ran into a rock."

"You… you…"

"Don't ask. Where's Rei? Did he not come with you?"

"He was too tired to come. He told me to go out and find you guys on my own and make sure you weren't getting yourself killed. I swear the nerve of that guy."

"He can be unbearable sometimes but you'll get used to it. What about Ai? How is she doing?"

"She said she'd meet up with me later. She had some things to do in town."

"What kind of things?"

"I don't know, all she said to me was she had a few things to do before she came along. Does she usually keep things vague?"

"Probably, not much has changed since she moved."

"One more thing, there are a bunch of people walking this way, should we be worried about that?" I sat up and looked down the path that Kimi and I had come from. Sure enough, there was a group of players carrying a flag, their leader at the front of the group wearing a red cape.

"Ugh, not these guys," I groaned.

"Who are they?" Kimi asked.

"It's the Aincrad Liberation Front. They're supposed to be running on the lower floors but recently they've managed to boost their level so they can be on the higher ones. They're leader is very prideful and works his army to complete exhaustion just because they 'always go public with the information they acquire' and 'don't know the meaning of the word retreat.' They're a bunch of suicidal idiots if you ask me." The group stopped walking and the leader turned around to address them.

"At ease!" he said. Almost immediately the players collapsed, obviously completely drained of their energy. The leader walked up to us. "My name is Commander Corbatz, leader of the Aincrad Liberation Front," he said to us. I stood up, along with Kimi.

"I'm Hikaru, solo," I replied.

"Sure you are… Let me ask you something. Do you have a map of this dungeon?"

"Yeah, I've mapped everything except the boss room but it's pretty obvious where it is."

"Okay then, hand over that map and we'll be on our way." Kimi was outraged.

"Are you kidding me? You think we're just going to GIVE you a map that we worked hard to complete? If you wanted it so bad you could've just done it yourself!" she shouted.

"Look, lady, I know that mapping is hard work. But most players are too selfish to release those maps to the public. The ALF goes public with all the information we acquire. We work to protect and preserve peace in Aincrad so that as many players as possible can leave. Now give us the map and we'll leave you be." Shika walked up to me.

"Hikaru, maybe you should give it to them. These guys are powerful as far as authority goes. We don't want to get into trouble with them," she said. I didn't have to think any longer. I took a deep breath and gave my answer in the most stern, assertive voice I could muster.

"No."

"No?" Corbatz looked furious.

"You heard me. I said no, I'm not giving you the map."

"You selfish fool! Who do you think you are to defy the Aincrad Liberation Front?"

"I'll tell you who I think I am, I'm a much smarter player than you. First of all I mapped this dungeon and I intend to keep it. Second, I don't go around telling people they're selfish when I work my own party members until they're wasted! Who does that and thinks it's a good idea?! Besides, I know that you're going to go for the boss room before you go back to town and release the map. The boss is probably too strong for you guys to handle anyway, especially in your current state with your men barely able to stand! Now, do everyone trapped on this God forsaken server a big favor and go back down to the single digit floors where you idiots belong." Corbatz's face seemingly lit up with anger.

"How dare you insult the Aincrad Liberation Front like that?! Hand over that damn map before I resort to force!"

"Resorting to force? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that the total opposite of 'protecting and preserving peace in Aincrad?'"

"Dammit, fine! Keep the map. Just tell us where you suspect the boss room is at the very least!"

"Alright fine, I'll tell you where it is. Just take a left at the fork down that path and you should be golden." I pointed down the path that the boss room was. "But mark my words, Corbatz, that boss is going to be incredibly powerful. If your team gets wiped out, just remember, I warned you."

"We don't need your advice. Now, men, on your feet!" The group groaned as they got up and followed Corbatz down the path that I pointed to. Shika waited until the ALF was gone before talking to me.

"What was that all about? You should've just given him the damn map!"

"No way am I going to support those imbeciles. They don't know it but by taking information from other players like that they're really no better than Titan's Hand or Laughing Coffin. By trying too hard to 'protect Aincrad' they're creating more controversy than peace." Kimi walked up beside me.

"Hikaru, that path you pointed to, is that really where the boss room is?" she asked.

"Of course it's not. If they actually made an attempt at the boss room they would all die before they could figure out if it's an anti-teleport zone. They're the same level as the floor number, and anyone who wants to challenge the boss at that low a level has got to be the stupidest person to ever get stuck in this game. But enough about them, let's get Rei and Ai and head for the boss room."

END OF CHAPTER XVII


	18. Chapter 18

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XVIII

POV: Hikaru

October 5, 2024

After I gathered Ai and Rei my party and I arrived at the gate to the boss room.

"Are you guys ready for this?" I asked them.

"I'm ready," Rei said.

"Me too," Ai said in turn.

"So am I," Shika replied.

"I'm good to go," Kimi said, "But, Hikaru, are you sure we're ready for this?"  
"I'm positive we're ready for it. Now, everyone get your teleport crystals ready. On the count of three, I'm going to open the gate." Everyone reached into their pockets to grab their teleport crystals ready. "One… Two… THREE!" I shoved the gate open and looked into the room. It was completely dark, no noise could be heard and nothing could be seen in the room. I stepped into it, along with my party, and a ring of blue fire formed around the parameter of the room. In the center of the room was blue minotaur-like monster with a greatsword strapped to its back and red eyes. Its name appeared above it: The Gleam Eyes. "Alright everyone, CHARGE!" My party rushed past me, weapons drawn, sending war cries into the air as their weapons glowed a multitude of colors. The boss' eyes glowed blue when he found a target. It roared as it swung its sword at Rei who blocked it while Ai hit it with a Million Stabs. "Dragon's Claw!" I slashed at it a couple times, bringing its first health bar out of four to about 75%. We had made some progress. Kimi ran past me.

"Cyclone Slash!" She jumped into the air and struck the boss with her dagger. She then kited it to a spot in the room where there were no players. While it was focused on her, Shika charged at it, her katana glowing orange.

"Gengetsu Tsujikaze!" she yelled as she slashed at it, bringing its second health bar into the yellow. We were doing very well. Of course, all good things come to an end.

"You selfish, foolish, idiotic excuse of an experience player!" I heard someone shout behind me. I looked back and I almost bolted to the gate to close it before the damn ALF could get in. That's right… it's Corbatz… It's FREAKIN' Corbatz…

"What the hell are you people doing here?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"We finally found the boss room an since we knew you were probably making an attempt at the boss we decided to punish you and take it out."

"You guys are too under leveled! You'll be killed by this thing!"

"We are just as if not more capable than your little party. Now, make way for the Aincrad Liberation Front!"

"Dammit Corbatz, you stupid, reckless idiot! Rei, Shika, I need you to focus on getting the ALF out of here. If they persist then guard them from deadly attacks. Make sure they all get out safely!"

"Right!" Shika and Rei said in unison. Corbatz wasn't having any of it though.

"Hikaru, let us through right now or we'll run you down!" he shouted.

"Kimi, Ai, focus all of your sword skills on the boss and keep him immobilized."

"Got it," Kimi and Ai said together.

"Men, prepare to charge the boss!" Corbatz commanded.

"Corbatz, for the last time, get your stupid, stubborn ass out of here! My party and I can handle this; you'll only get in the way!"

"I don't care what you say; this battle belongs to the ALF. Now, men, charge!" His men ran past him at less than impressive speeds. I'm surprised I was able to say that they ran. At best they were slightly jogging. They were still beyond tired and in no shape to be fighting. Corbatz has to be the most foolish human being I have ever had the misfortune to meet.

"Dragon's Claw!" I tried to keep the boss off of the ALF soldiers but it was too fast. It dodged my attack and targeted the group of soldiers. It swept its blade across the floor and half of the group was launched backward. I saw about two people explode into blue triangles. "Corbatz, two of your men are already dead, just get the hell out of here before the rest die!"

"No! My men don't know the meaning of the word 'retreat!' Men, regroup and flank the boss!" If we're being serious here if they know that they aren't supposed to retreat because you say they can't means that both you and your men do know the meaning of the word. I hate when things like this happen. Anyway, Corbatz, being the moron that he is, didn't see that the boss was targeting him as he was yelling at me. The boss launched Corbatz so far he almost slid out of the boss room. I saw his health bar completely go down instantly.

"I told you, Corbatz! I warned you that you weren't prepared for this!"

"Damn you, Hikaru. If you had let us through we would have been able to defeat it. Look what you've done!"

"All I did was try to keep your men from dying. You were the one that put yourself and all of these players in danger!"

"I will forgive you if you if you heal me. Please don't let another player die when you could easily save him."

"Okay, Corbatz, listen. I'm sorry, but… I think it would be best if you just left anyway. You're getting in the way of the more experienced players and holding those under you back by working them to death. You're not protecting and preserving peace in Aincrad, you just creating more deaths. I hope you enjoyed life while you could…"

"Hikaru, you selfish little-" I turned and ran toward the boss, hearing the death sound effect behind me.

"Attention all ALF members! Your leader is dead and your guild is dissolved! Get out of here and head back to town!" The remaining players from the ALF dashed for the door but the boss jumped in front of it. It swung its sword at the group, wiping out about a fourth of it. "Rei, follow me and help distract the boss."

"Coming!" Rei followed me as I truck the boss with my sword. It was focused on me now. As I kited it away from the door I saw the ALF exit the room out of the corner of my eye. "Flaming Cleaver!" Rei axe glowed red and he slashed at the boss. The boss, in turn, swung its sword at Rei. He blocked it and I hit it with a Flash Thrust.

"Kimi, switch!" I commanded.

"I'm on it!" Kimi slashed at the boss' leg and Ai thrusted her rapier at it. It swept its blade across the ground again. I was able to guard against it, but everyone else was knocked back. The boss was targeting me now. It thrusted its sword at me, scraping it against mine. Its third health bar was still green while mine was at about 85%. With everyone else regaining their health I couldn't make much progress on my own like this. But if I used the skill… No, I have to save it for when the party is in danger. But the party is in danger now! I had to use it, but I would need about ten seconds to get ready.

"Shika! Kimi! I need ten seconds! Do you think you can hold the boss off for long enough?"

"Yeah, but I don't think Phantom Strike is going to do much good," Shika said.

"I'm not using Phantom Strike. Just get into position, I'll tell you when I'm ready!"

"Okay. Demon Blade!" Shika's katana glowed orange as she charged the boss. I jumped back and opened my menu. I heard Shika and Kimi shouting sword skills as I got out the item that would let me use the skill. "Moonstone Medal" is what it was called. As I grasped it and went over what I had to do, I finally decided I was ready.

"Okay guys, switch!" Kimi and Shika jumped out of the way as I lunged at the boss, throwing the Moonstone Medal to the ground.

"MIDNIGHT REAPER!" I shouted.

END OF CHAPTER XVIII


	19. Chapter 19

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XIX

POV: Kimi

October 5, 2024

As I jumped out of the way of the boss Hikaru had a white plate-like object in his hand. He threw it on the ground and shouted "Midnight Reaper." Suddenly, the entire room turned dark and the boss was thrown backward by an explosion coming from Hikaru. When I could see clearly Hikaru was hovering slightly above the ground, his usually black jacket was now even darker (how that's possible I will never know), his sword and hair now white and his hair seemed to defy gravity. The blade of his sword was surrounded by a blood-red aura. I've been in this game for almost two years and I have never seen anything like this.

"Okay… Grand Phantom Strike!" he shouted. His sword glowed purple and he slashed through the boss about twenty times. At this moment I thought to myself 'you should probably recount.' I counted the spikes in the boss again and sure enough there were about twenty. Twenty strikes in ten seconds, that's faster than I've ever seen Hikaru move. As he sheathed his sword the boss' third health bar was completely drained. The boss hit Hikaru and his health bar went down fast, but he recovered with seemingly no effort. "Demonic Dragon's Claw!" He swung his sword at the boss several times, its HP gauge slowly but surely going down. The boss got a couple hits in too but Hikaru kept his combo up. When the boss' last HP gauge was yellow, Hikaru stopped and held the sword in front of his face. "Moonlight Gash!" he shouted. The blade of his sword grew about six inches longer and glowed even brighter. Hikaru slashed at the boss one last time, bringing its health to zero. As it exploded into blue triangles and the congratulations sign appeared at the front of the room, Hikaru's appearance changed back to normal. I noticed that his HP gauge was very low. After all of that, Hikaru was, if I had to guess, ten health points away from death. "There… now everyone's… safe…" he breathed as he fell backwards, unconscious.

"Hikaru!" I screamed as I ran to him. He wasn't out for long, he came to five seconds after I reached him.

"Kimi… How long was I out?" he asked. I could fell tears welling up in my eyes.

"Only a few seconds… Hikaru, I was so scared… I thought you were going to die," I cried as I threw my arms around him.

"Hey, careful, don't hug me too hard…" I could hear Rei, Shika, and Ai walking up to us.

"What the hell did you just do? I've never seen anything like that!" Rei exclaimed.

"Oh, you know, it's just a little skill I picked up… somehow," Hikaru responded.

"How did you get it?" Ai asked.

"I'd tell you if I knew. I was just looking through my skills list once and it was just there."

"What kind of skill is it?" Shika requested.

"It was called 'Transformation' on the skill list. For some reason the game treats it like a unique weapon. It's got its own different transformations and sword skills and everything, so it technically has two skill trees."  
"So it's like Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball Z?" Rei inquired.

"Well… sort of, I guess. Each transformation has its own passive effects as well as a pallet swap for all of you currently equipped gear. Pretty badass if you ask me."

"It's totally badass! That level of badassery would make Spike Spiegel wet himself! Also, you totally saved everyone back there. So, thanks, a lot."

"Yeah, if it weren't for you we would have all been killed," Ai said.

"I'm just looking out for the people I care about. It's my job." I chuckled to myself. That was exactly what he told me.

"Anyway, we're going to go open the gate to floor 75. You two take your time. See you around," Shika said as the three of them walked off.

October 5, 2024

POV: Hikaru

"Hey, Kimi, is something wrong?" I asked after about five minutes. I thought I could hear her crying as she hugged me.

"I was just so scared. I'm sorry that you always have to step in to protect us like that. I know that you don't like to do it but you should know that all of us appreciate it," she sobbed.

"Don't worry, Kimi. I may not necessarily like having to do it but it makes me happy to know that I'm helping you. Like I said, as the most experienced player in SAO, it's my job to help you get out of this game." I put my arm around her shoulders and Kimi hugged me tighter.

"Hikaru… How can you be so strong?" I heard her ask.

"Well, you see, I do a lot of soloing-"

"Not that kind of strong," Kimi looked me in the eye, tear tracks still running down her face, "Strong as in you never give up, even when you're scared to death and know that you'll probably die. Strong as in you never hesitate to help someone no matter how dangerous the task at hand is. How, Hikaru… How can you be so strong?"

"To be perfectly honest, I guess it's because I'm no longer in the real world. I mean, I would never do anything like this in the real world, whatever the real world equivalent to this is. I guess I forget that this is a game and there's a whole other world that we once existed in and we're only climbing this castle so we can get back there. I guess that it's some kind of drive that I get from fabricated reality. But I'm not strong in the real world. I'm probably the weakest human that ever managed to stay sane long enough to simulate what it's like to be strong. Truth be told, being trapped in this game is probably the best thing that ever happened to me." Kimi smiled.

"As much as I hate to admit it, it's one of the best things to happen to me, too." With that, we both got up and headed for the next floor.

Now, about that transformation skill… I saw it in my skills list about a month ago but I may or may not have had it before that. I opened it up and it showed me two skill trees, one for different forms and one for sword skills that I can only use when transformed. The first form was the one I used to defeat the boss; Midnight Reaper. I didn't know how long it would be before I would get the next one. Each form also had its unique passive effects and added effects to your sword skills. They each had alternate pallet swaps for your gear but that isn't as important. I've only read the description for the first three or so but the description for the first one had to be the most disturbing, but I thought it would be most useful because of the number of players that were killed by the boss, and not for the reason you probably think…

Midnight Reaper

Skill Type: Transform

Passive Skill: Increases your Attack and Speed stats by 100%. Adds an additional 100% to the buff every time the user sees another player's HP reach 0.

Unique Sword Skill: Moonlight Gash

Active Skill: Weapon grows in length, improving its reach and attack power. Ignores defense of target.

END OF CHAPTER XIX


	20. Chapter 20

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XX

POV: Hikaru

October 6, 2024

Last night Kimi and I got a room at the inn on floor 75. We didn't talk much since we were so tired from the fight. The following morning, this morning, Kimi was still asleep and I sat at the foot of her bed, thinking about yesterday. I thought about her question to me after the fight, "How can you be so strong?" I don't know why I waited so long to think about it, but how can she think I'm strong? She said that I don't hesitate to help someone, no matter how dangerous it might be. I really only did it for my friends, I haven't really done anything significant for anyone I didn't already know. I realized Kimi was talking in her sleep.

"No, Hikaru… don't…" she whispered. Was she having a dream about me? What was I doing that she thought I shouldn't? "We need… you… You have to get… back to… the real world… Don't do it…" She rolled over a couple times, saying my name repeatedly, speaking louder each time. "Hikaru… Hikaru? Hikaru!" Kimi sat up suddenly, her eyes wide open. She looked as if she saw a ghost.

"Kimi, is everything okay?" She looked at me with those enormous eyes, panting like she had been running.

"Yeah… Everything is fine. I was just having a bad dream," she said.

"What was this dream about?" I asked her. She paused for a couple seconds.

"Don't worry about it, it's not like it had anything to do with you. It was just a little frightening."

"Actually, Kimi, you were talking in your sleep. You were saying things like 'No, Hikaru, don't do it' and 'You need to get back to the real world.' Are you sure it didn't have anything to do with me?" Kimi sighed.

"In the dream I just had, you were standing at the edge of a cliff on floor 1. You and I were the only ones there. You had a sad look on your face and told me that you thought you couldn't protect me anymore. Then you leaned backward and that's probably when I started talking in my sleep. You were committing suicide, and I was so scared that it was real I almost jumped off the cliff too." Kimi was dreaming about me jumping off of Aincrad? I have heard that people had done it before because they thought there was no way they could make it out of the game alive anyway. But would I do it?

"Listen Kimi," I said, grabbing her shoulders, "I would never commit suicide before I saw you clicking that logout button. I promised you that you would see the real world again and I intend to keep that promise. If you ever have this dream again, just know that when you wake up I'll still be here working my ass off to make sure you get home safely. I wouldn't abandon you like that, not when there are things I haven't done yet."

"Thank you, Hikaru," Kimi said as she hugged me, "I knew it was all in my head."

"Now, we better get ready to find the others. Let me know when-" Before I could finish my thought a message symbol appeared in front of me. I pressed it.

"Who's it from?" Kimi asked.

"It's Commander Heathcliff. The subject is 'News travels fast…'" I read the message to myself.

Hikaru,

It's been a while since I last saw you. I would ask how you're doing but, like the subject states, I know exactly how you're doing. Rei told me about your little feat yesterday. I'd like to see you in my office on floor 55 at the Knights of the Blood Oath HQ. Try to be here no later than noon if you decide you want to come.

-Heathcliff

"Alright, Kimi, before we meet up with the others we're going to see Heathcliff," I said.

"What? You want to take me to see Heathcliff?" she asked.

"Of course, he said he wants to see me no later than noon, so we better get going."

"But, why do you want me to come with you? Wouldn't you rather go on your own?"

"Not really, I would prefer going with someone. Besides, I think you two will get along alright." We checked out of the inn and teleported to floor 55. When we arrived at the KoB headquarters there was a player in a white and red suit waiting at the entrance.

"You must be Hikaru; the Commander has been waiting for you. Please come this way." He lead us up a flight of stairs and we entered a room much like the one I was in when I first saw Heathcliff. As I suspected, he had been waiting for us to arrive.

"Hello Hikaru, it's been a while," he said.

"That it has Heathcliff," I replied.

"And who might this be? Certainly not Rei?" Heathcliff remarked jokingly, gesturing toward Kimi.

"This is my friend Kimi. We were separated from the party after the boss fight so we got a room at the inn without them."

"Hello, it's an honor to finally meet you, sir," Kimi said. Heathcliff chuckled at Kimi's greeting.

"Kimi was it? You do know that we are playing an online game, right? I appreciate the fact that you feel like you should respect me but, in truth, we are equals. We are both just players unlucky enough to be stuck in this game. So please don't feel like you have to be so formal."

"Yes si… I mean Heathcliff. Sorry about that."

"There is no need to apologize. Now, Hikaru, there is something I'd like to talk to you about."

"What is it?" I inquired.

"Rei told me how you managed to defeat that boss. Some kind of 'transformation skill' is what he said. Personally, I'd like to see this skill for myself."

"Right now? I don't think this is a very appropriate place for something like that."

"No, not right here. I'd like to challenge you to a duel. You and me at the Colosseum on this floor. What do you say?"

"A duel? Me dueling with the famous Commander Heathcliff? That sounds pretty intriguing. But what's the catch?"

"There is no catch. I just want to see what this skill looks like. Also, it'll be a public fight so players can come see it if they want."

"A public fight? Hmmmmm…"

"Also, your friends get free tickets."

"Alright Kimi, I need you to message the others saying that they need to meet you at the Colosseum on floor 55. Tell them I'm having a duel with Heathcliff and I'll talk to all of you afterwards. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Wait Hikaru, are you sure about this? I know it's just a friendly duel but do you think you have a chance?" Kimi said.

"Of course I don't think I have a chance. But this isn't about winning; Heathcliff just wants to see the skill. I'll give it my all, but I'm not worried about losing."

"Okay." Kimi opened her menu and started to message Rei.

"We'll meet in an hour," Heathcliff said.

An hour past and I was at the Colosseum, waiting for someone to come get me. I went over my strategy in my head. I did have the transform skill but Heathcliff had a unique skill of his own. It's called the Divine Blade and it maximizes the user's offensive and defensive moves. Also, Heathcliff is notorious for never letting his HP gauge turn yellow. I would have to use the transform skill to its full effect or I had no chance of winning. That aside though, something has kind of been bothering me about that HP never reaching yellow thing. Sure it's impressive, but even for an extremely experienced player that can't just be the player's abilities and the unique skill. Something is very odd about Heathcliff…

"Hikaru, it's time," I heard someone say. There was a KoB member standing at the entrance to the arena.

"Alright, I'm ready," I replied. I walked out of the gate and the crowd was cheering. Heathcliff was standing on the opposite side of the arena.

"Hikaru! You can do it!" I looked over to see my party in the front row. I gave them a wave and proceeded to the center of the arena.

"Are you ready for this, Hikaru?" he asked me.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." He pulled up his menu and a screen appeared in front of me.

Will you accept this duel request?

Opponent: Akira

Type: 1 vs. 1

I took a deep breath and looked at the opponent again.

Opponent: Heathcliff

I still wasn't over the fact that I killed Akira. I shooed the thought away and pressed the O. The giant duel screen appeared next to us. I took this time to get out the Moonstone Medal and throw it on the ground. I transformed into the Midnight Reaper form.

"Wow… That's quite flashy, I'll give it that. But let's see how it fares in battle." Heathcliff said. The timer hit 0:00 and the fight began. Heathcliff, with his sword and shield, braced himself for an attack. I was smarter than that though, and I waited. I didn't move a muscle. Heathcliff looked confused. After a few seconds he slightly lowered his sword and shield. That's my cue.

"Eire Shadow Phase…" I whispered as I dashed at Heathcliff. "Grand Phantom Strike!" I slashed through him about fifteen times. His health went down to about 95%. He was pretty tough. I'm still not convinced he could keep his health in the green for the entire game. I started to slash at him. To my disappointment, all he was doing was hiding behind his shield as I ran around his trying to get a hit in. Now that feat of his was seemingly more possible and, at the same time, a lot less impressive. Finally, he thrusted his sword at me. I tried to dodge it but he landed a hit on me. My health bar went down to 90%. Crap that was a lot stronger than I thought it would be. I kept slashing at him. "Demonic Dragon's Claw!" I swung my sword at him even faster than before. I only landed about two hits on him. His health was down to about 75%. I was doing okay. I decided it was time to finish him off. I jumped upward and kicked off of his shield, launching myself backward. I ran as fast as I could at him. "Moonlight Gash!" I shouted, my sword glowing white and growing a couple inches. He was wide open and I was sure that I had him. Suddenly, everything around me slowed down to a halt. Heathcliff was still able to move, though. What was going on? Finally, everything returned to normal speed and he swung his sword at me, catching my side and sending me flying. My health bar tuned yellow and the duel screen appeared, Heathcliff's name highlighted in yellow with the word "winner" next to it. He had won, but despite the fact that I expected no less, I felt like I should've won. How he pulled it off, I will never know, but it was another step to figuring out who this guy REALLY was.

END OF CHAPTER XX


	21. Chapter 21

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XXI

POV: Hikaru

October 6, 2024

"Hikaru, you were great! Sure you didn't win, but it was still a good fight. I'd pay to see it again," Shika said as she walked up to me with Rei and Ai close by. Oddly, though, I didn't see Kimi anywhere.

"Where's Kimi? I don't see her around," I said.

"Oh yeah, about that… See, when I noticed Kimi was gone there was a different player where she was sitting during the fight. He said that he had business with you," Shika replied.

"What did he look like?"

"He was in a black cloak and a hood. I couldn't see his face. He also had this weird symbol on his glove. It was a goofy face with a skeletal arm under it."

"Dammit… Not them again…"

"What's wrong?"

"Did he tell you where he wanted to talk to me?"

"He said he wanted to meet you in an alley on the main street of the floor 75 town."

"Wait for me at the inn. Do not go anywhere until I get back!" I took off toward the main street. What did Laughing Coffin want? Were they going to threaten to kill Kimi if I didn't do what they want? What were they going to ask me to do? Crap, if it's that same guy from Christmas Eve last year I'm going to be so PISSED! Well, I guess you could say I'm already really pissed. Anyway, I turned down the alley that I suspected the player wanted to see me and, sure enough, there was a player in a black cloak with the Laughing Coffin logo on his glove standing at the end of the alley.

"It's been a while, Hikaru," he remarked. It was the same guy from last year.

"What did you do with Kimi?" I demanded.

"Your friend is fine… for now. There's something I want to discuss with you before I give her back to you."

"What the hell do you want then?"

"I want to know how you got that skill."

"You mean the transformation skill, right?"

"See? You can be smart after all! Now, tell me how you got it… Or should I say, how I can get it?"

"I promise you if I knew how I got it I would've released it to the public already. I don't know how I got it. Now where's Kimi?"

"HAHAHAHAHA! Wow! If you think you can fool me with that 'I have no idea' crap you're wrong! I know you know how to get it. Now tell me or your friend is a goner!" He stepped to the side of the alley to reveal another Laughing Coffin player holding Kimi. He had one arm around her neck and the other grasped a knife and was holding it to her throat.

"Hikaru, just let them kill me! You don't know how you got it, just walk away!" she cried.

"Let her go right now you bastard!" The first player snapped his fingers and the other one made a cut on Kimi's shoulder, bringing her health down to an astonishing 75%.With that tiny knife and one cut? 75%? Three more cuts and Kimi would die. "You heard her, I really don't know how I got it now let her go!"

"How do I know that she's not lying too? In fact, give her another one, Zaza." The player holding Kimi (who I assumed to be Zaza) cut Kimi again. As I predicted, her health turned yellow, signifying that it is at 50%.

"Look, I haven't used the revival item from Christmas Eve last year. If I give you that will you let Kimi go?"

"As it turns out, the boss doesn't want the revival item anymore. He believes that this transformation skill will be much more valuable than the item. Something about 'We could use it to threaten people into giving us more useful items.' Won't do." I was running out of options.

"Fine, what can I do to get Kimi back?"

"I'm afraid that the only way to get your friend back is to stop bluffing and tell us how you got the skill."

"For the last time, I DON'T KNOW HOW I GOT THE SKILL! NOW LET KIMI GO!"

"Zaza?" The other player, made another cut on Kimi's arm. Her HP gauge turned red. This was really bad. One more screw up and Kimi would be dead. I tried to give him the revival item but he… Wait… The revival item! That's it!

"I'm sorry Kimi, but I give up." Tears filled her eyes but she nodded. I have to admit, it was almost funny that she thought I was actually going to let her die. The second I saw that knife dig into Kimi's virtual skin I tackled the first player, knocking him to the ground. I threw my two of the needles I had at my belt at the other player, stunning him. I took out the Divine Stone of Returning Soul. "Revive!" I shouted. It shattered and Kimi's health bar reappeared and completely refilled to 100%. "Get behind me!" She got up and made her way behind me. I took out my sword. "And that's how you save a life without moving a muscle."

"You sly little bastard! I'll kill both of you!" The first player got up and charged at me with his knife glowing a dark green. I tried to block it but he faked me out and shoved me aside. He was going for Kimi. "I've waited to do this for so long. Say your prayers! YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO DIE, BITCH!" I wasn't going to let Kimi die like this. I got up and jumped in front of Kimi. The player sliced off my left arm and my HP gauge turned yellow, a symbol of a hand with a slash through it appearing next to it. I reared backward, my right hand glowing orange, and I punched the player as hard as I could, and my hand actually sank into his chest. His health bar was completely drained almost instantly. It dissolved and two beeps sounded. "Hehe… Tell me, Hikaru, how does it feel knowing you've just killed someone? Hehe… Hahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed hysterically as he exploded into blue triangles. I looked at the other player.

"Get out… NOW!" He got up and ran past us and into the street without another word. I could hear Kimi step backward, her voice cracking as she tried to speak.

"Hikaru… I… I'm sorry." I couldn't think of anything to say. "You… You should just stay away from me… I don't… want you to have to keep… putting your life on the line for me." I turned to her. She was looking down but I could see the tears running down her face. "You should focus on getting the others out… Forget about me…" She turned to walk away but I grabbed her shoulder.

"Kimi, look at me." She turned back, her green eyes sparkling with tears. "I admit it doesn't feel good knowing that I've just killed another player, but if it means saving your life, then it was worth it."

"Hikaru…"

"I don't care how many times you need me to risk my life to save yours. Besides, that guy was a stranger. It doesn't matter to me as long as you're safe. I said I was going to get you out of here, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Hikaru… There you go again, being strong, just like at the floor 74 boss fight…" She walked up to me, a surprising look of determination in her eyes. "Hikaru, sorry, but I just have to do this."

"What are you talking abou-" Before I could finish my sentence Kimi pressed my lips to hers. The kiss lasted about seven seconds. "Kimi, I… I don't know what to say…"

"Hikaru, I know this is a little cliché, but the fact that you keep putting up with my weakness, the fact that you are never bothered when you have to step in and save me like that, the fact that you are so passionate when it comes to your friends and their lives, it all makes me feel special, more special. If this were some kind of story about a hero who defeats the enemy, saves the day, and gets the girl, you would be that hero. After all, you've done one of those things, but I know you can do them all. Hikaru…" She rested her forehead on my chest. "I love you… I always have…" Thankfully, I knew exactly what to say.

"I love you too, Kimi…" As I was about to place my unsevered around her waist I heard footsteps at the entrance to the alley.

"Hikaru! Kimi! Thank God I found… I'm sorry, I'll give you two some privacy." It was Rei.

"Don't worry Rei, we're coming. Just give us a few more minutes," I said to him.

"Please, by all means, take your time."

"Hang on a second, didn't I tell you not to leave the inn until I got there?"

"Did you? Uhhhhhh… I don't remember that…"

"Rei…?"

"It was Shika's idea!"

"Go back to the inn; we'll be there in a little bit." I heard Rei walk away without even saying goodbye.

"Hey Kimi, what should we tell the others?" Kimi looked up.

"I don't know about you, but I don't like keeping secrets," she said with a smile on her face.

"Alright then," I replied. When we got back to the inn Kimi decided to get a room separate from the others… Just so we could talk, of course. However, as I lay in bed that night, I thought of something that I learned about in the Beta. It was an action that two players could do together if they both agreed to it. It allowed the two players to share their item storage, as well as be immediately alerted whenever the other player died. A lot of the Beta testers were doing it. Not everyone knew about it though, which is probably why it was overlooked now. According to my sources (and witnessing it during the Beta), apparently you could marry another player in SAO. Of course it's just in game, but since I've lived the last two years of my life in this game, I'm not afraid of expressing my feelings via my avatar. So now the question was, was I ready to marry Kimi and would Kimi agree to it?

END OF CHAPTER XXI


	22. Chapter 22

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XXII

POV: Hikaru

October 7, 2024

"Wake up!" I heard a female voice say. I thought it was Kimi but it was a little too high to be her. I looked at the clock. Eight o'clock, it said. "Come on, get up! Get up!" The voice started to get impatient.

"Alright, I'm up, what is it you want to…" I trailed off as I realized that the little dark haired girl standing at the end of the bed wasn't Kimi. "Hey Kimi, you may want to see this," I said as I poked her cheek.

"What is it?" Kimi said as she looked up at me. I pointed to the girl at the end of the bed. She made a surprised face. "Why did you let her in? We don't know her!"

"I didn't let her in. Excuse me, would you mind telling me who you are and how you got in here?" I asked the strange girl.

"Sorry for surprising you like this. My name is AK-I MHCP 001, which stands for Mental Health Counseling Program, but you can call me Aki," she said. "I'm an AI, so I'm allowed to see and hear everything that happens in the SAO server."

"Wait, so you're not a player?" Kimi asked.

"Nope! I'm a program that's supposed to oversee the mental health of the players in SAO."

"Interesting…" I got out of the bed and examined this program calling herself "Aki." She wore a long, pure white dress and her hair and eyes were navy blue. I reached out to touch her and when I did it felt real, just like everything else in the game. "I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to need more proof that you're an AI and not just some cracked player," I said.

"Will this do?" The girl opened her arms and she dispersed into a globe of random characters. Screens appeared in the globe facing outward. As I looked at them I noticed that they were all places in Aincrad. "Right now, all of these screens you see inside the globe are live video feeds of what is actually happening in that part of Aincrad. Look at this," Aki's disembodied voice echoed. The globe turned and a screen of a building panned in front of me. The sign outside the shop read "Lisbeth's Smith Shop."

"This is floor 48! And look, it's Akuma!" Akuma was exiting the shop with Lis behind him. "Where are they going?"

"They're going to collect some more ores to fill an order. Exactly two days, five hours, thirty-four minutes, and fifty-eight seconds ago Akuma received an order from a player in the Holy Dragon Alliance to forge him a custom-made spear out of a defense and earth-elemental type metal alloy. Right now, they are going to floor 60 to get the ore. They hope to have the spear ready by tomorrow at 6:00 PM latest, which is when the player who placed the order intends to come by the shop and pick it up."

"Wow, how do you know that?"

"It's quite simple, I can read minds."

"Seriously?"

"I'm a program that oversees mental health; of course I can read minds." The screens inside the globe closed down and the characters regrouped to form the little girl in the long white dress again. "I can even tell that right now you're thinking about Kimi's-" I covered her mouth before she could say what I was thinking. Kimi blushed.

"Hikaru, take your hand away, I think I'd like to hear this…" she said. I changed the subject.

"Anyway, Aki, why are you here?" I asked, taking my hand away.

"I'm here because I want to accompany you as you complete the game," she replied.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"You see, when SAO started I looked at the players' thoughts patterns and they were very negative. They were so depressed, scared, and some even committed suicide by jumping off of the edge of the castle. I searched everywhere to find even one player that showed a positive thought pattern. Finally, about six months ago, I found you, Hikaru. Later, I found Kimi. The two of you didn't show negative emotions, rather, you were the first players I had seen that seemed not only okay with the fact that you're stuck in this virtual world, but you seemed happy and stimulated."

"Stimulated? What do you mean by that?" Kimi asked.

"I mean you both seemed excited that you were here, and on top of that you had similar reasons to be excited. Kimi, you were excited because you knew you would get to spend a lot of time with Hikaru. Hikaru, you were excited because you knew you would get to help your friends… and spend a lot of time with Kimi. Because you two were so positive about SAO, I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to know how you managed to stay positive so I could better help people cope with negative emotions toward this game. So, Hikaru, can you evaluate on why you were so excited to be stuck in SAO?"

"Well," I started, "in the real world I'm not necessarily someone you would want to get to know. I'm the guy that sits at the back of the room, away from all the socializing, lamenting over the life I could've had. To escape my loneliness, I turned to online gaming. When you play games online, no one knows who you are. Heck, they may be a depressed, friendless person looking to escape their loneliness too. I mean, I wasn't without friends, I had Rei and Akuma and Shika and…" I stopped to think for a second. "No wait, not Ai…" I whispered to myself. "But most importantly, I had Kimi, and now she and every one of my friends stuck in SAO are everything to me. I keep telling them that I'm going to get them out, so I just channel that desire into positive mental energy that drives me to keep fighting so one day I can wake up along with all of my friends and we can talk in person again." Kimi and Aki smiled.

"That's really sweet, Hikaru. Oh, what's this?" Aki said, turning to Kimi, "Kimi, your heart rate is increasing substantially!" Kimi blushed again.

"What are you talking about? I'm not… I'm fine… Just…" Kimi kept stuttering, struggling to think of something to say.

"Admit it, Kimi; you were stimulated by Hikaru's little speech there."

"Okay, I did think it was really sweet, but I'm not stimulated! I just… like how he worded how much his friends mean to him…"

"Anyway, Kimi, why don't you tell us why you were excited?"

"Well, I guess that… I've liked Hikaru for quite a while now and, I was glad that I could spend so much time with him. My excitement grew as Hikaru started to step in and risk his life to save mine. Eventually, I decided to tell him how I feel. Then I was REALLY excited when he said he shared my feelings. By the way, Hikaru, you did mean it when you said 'I love you,' right?" I was surprised at this.

"Of course I meant it, Kimi. I wouldn't joke about something serious like that, especially to you. I really do love you," I responded.

"Okay, sorry if I sounded like I was doubting you, it's just happened to me once before and I don't want to repeat my past mistakes."

"I understand, but it's true."

"Hey, guys," Aki spoke up. "I'm SUPER stoked about this little clarification you two are having, but if you don't mind I'd like to come with you as you climb the castle. What do you say?"

"Can you give Kimi and I some time to talk?" I asked.

"Sure, just say my name when you're ready." She folded her arms and she disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"So what do you think?" I asked, turning to Kimi.

"Well, we don't really know much about her," she said.

"She is just a program, and an overseer of mental health. How dangerous can she be?"

"She could be secretly giving information to Kayaba about the players she sees."

"I don't think she would have to do that. Kayaba, as the GM, should have access to everything Aki can see. He may not be able to process it at the speed that Aki can, but maybe that's why he created her in the first place."

"What do you think? Is she trustworthy?"

"To be honest, I don't see why she wouldn't be trustworthy. She's a program, which means that she probably follows a strict protocol and has limitations on how she can interact with players. Although, she did say that she wanted to talk to us when she noticed our thought patterns, so that means that she's advanced enough to formulate her own intentions and desires, but that's not a big deal. If anything, it would be good for the whole party if she came along."

"Speaking of the party, what do you think they'll say about her?"

"They might be okay with it. I know Rei would be super impressed by it. Shika and Ai may not really care but it's almost like another person to keep them, and all of us, company. I think we should let her come."

"Yeah, I think so too. Alright Aki, you can come out now." Another flash of blue light shone and Aki appeared.

"So…?" she inquired.

"You can come with us," I told her.

"Really? Thank you! I promise that I will do my best to be helpful to you. So, where are we going first?"

"Before we can go anywhere I have to message Rei and arrange a place and time for us to meet up with the others. Until then, do you think you could find a way to make yourself a little less detectable? It's not that I don't like your presence, I just don't want anyone to be suspicious about you."

"No problem! Check this out!" She jumped into the air and dissipated into characters. A couple seconds later I heard her voice again. "Can you guys hear me?"

"Yeah, we can hear you, but where did you go?"

"I went back to what I call the 'void.' It's where I go to monetize the players' brain activity. Right now I have it set so that the thoughts of all three of us are connected through me. Now every word I speak out loud will be fed to you two at the same time, and you only have to think words in order for me to hear them, so all three of us can have a conversation without anyone else noticing. If the other person lets you, you can also read each other's mind so you can talk without anyone noticing, too!" Kimi and I looked at each other. Read each other's minds, but only if we let them? I better be careful what I think when we use that.

"Alright then, let's message Rei and arrange a meeting place," I said as I opened up my menu.

END OF CHAPTER XXII


	23. Chapter 23

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XXIII

POV: Ai

October 7, 2024

So apparently Hikaru managed to get a Mental Health Counseling Program to follow us around. She certainly isn't going to get annoying. At least that's what I thought before she proved to be a great source of information. She told us a lot about the enemies in the area like what drops they give and what type they are. She proved to be very useful. Anyway, Hikaru asked us to follow him and we stopped at the teleportation platform but didn't step onto it. He kept his back to us.

"Rei, Kimi, Shika, can you guys give Ai and I a little privacy? Don't go too far though," he said. The three nodded and walked away. "Ai, there's something we need to talk about."

"What?" I replied.

"I know what you were trying to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Two years ago, you told me off when you were moving." My heart skipped a beat. He knew I lied? How? I haven't told anyone yet.

"If you think you know, what was I trying to do?"

"You were trying to get me off your back so you could focus on finding someone you don't find intolerably creepy." So he doesn't know. Good, I guess.

"So what's your point?"

"My point is that you don't have to worry about me bothering you anymore." He turned to me. "Kimi and I are in love now and I no longer have a reason to care about you, let alone the way I used to." He tossed me a large blue crystal. "If you need to teleport to a lower floor, you can use that to do it. You no longer have to stay in our party, so you don't have to have anything to do with me or anyone in Matsuyama."

"You and Kimi, eh?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Now don't get yourself killed, not that I care or anything like that." Hikaru tried to walk away but, without even thinking, I grabbed his sleeve. "What do you want?" he asked aggressively.

"Hikaru, I… I…" I knew I had to tell him that I lied. How do I say it? How will he react? Will he even care?

"Ai, what do you want? If you don't need anything just leave me alone, okay?"

"Just wait! Hikaru, I have to tell you something!"

"Then what is it? I don't have all day!"

"I still care about you!"

"Is that so? Then why did you tell me off like that?"

"Because I lied to you!"

"I know you lied."

"I mean I lied about me hating you!" Hikaru seemed interested in this.

"And why should I believe you?"

"I… I told you that I hated you all along because I knew you liked me. I didn't want to hurt you, so I wanted to make sure you didn't care about me anymore. I lied because I cared about you." Hikaru's expression changed to a puzzled one.

"So, you wanted me to hate you so I wouldn't hurt me?"

"Yes, that's it. I guess I cared about you a little too much." I looked down. "I understand if you still hate me, I went a little overboard. But I still care about you and… I hope we can be friends." I let go of his sleeve and expected him to walk away, but he didn't move.

"Well, if that's the case, then I accept your apology, and I'm glad you want to be friends again. Personally, I would be glad to have you back." I could hardly control my excitement.

"You mean it? Thank you, Hikaru!" I tackled him with a hug. It was at this moment that I realized something. For as close as we had gotten and for how well we got along, this was the very first time I had ever hugged him. I kind of regretted not doing it until now, because even in a virtual world, it meant something. I looked up. "Hikaru, for old time's sake, will you have a friendly duel with me?" I asked him. A smirk spread across his face.

"Of course I will." He opened his menu and a screen appeared in front of me.

Will you accept this duel request?

Opponent: Hikaru

Type: 1 vs. 1

I pressed the O below the text and the duel screen appeared next to us. We both ran to opposite sides of the clearing as a crowd of people gathered around us. Hikaru drew his sword and I drew my rapier. He was a couple levels above me, so he would probably strike first hoping to get off a decent hit within the first few seconds. I'll block that hit and retaliate. I waited for Hikaru to assume some kind of stance. Instead, he walked around me in a circular formation, expecting me to do the same. I walked around the circumference of the clearing with him on the opposite side. He stopped and I stopped shortly after. The countdown hit 0:00 and I prepared to block Hikaru's attack. He raised his sword in front of his face but he didn't move. He just held the same position for about twenty seconds. He was completely still… Totally composed. Was he still going over a strategy? If so, I should hit him now. I charged at him. "Million Stabs!" I shouted as my sword glowed green. When I got about a meter and a half away from him, he shifted his sword in his hand so that the flat side faced me for about half a second. Sunlight was reflected into my eyes and moved across them. I stabbed the area in front of me, certain I had hit him with one of my attacks. When the dust cleared and I was able to see clearly, however, Hikaru wasn't in front of me. I missed? Wait, that's why he was shifting around the clearing, he wanted to get into a position where he could temporarily blind me, giving him just enough time to get out of the way.

"Dragon's Claw!" I heard behind me. I tried to turn around and block it but he sent me flying backward before I had the chance. A red symbol with two tear drops on it appeared next to my health bar. I was bleeding and would continually lose health for the next thirty seconds or so. In that time I had to deal as much damage to Hikaru as possible. I ran at him, thrusting my rapier at him several times. He deflected all of my strikes. My bleeding wore off and my HP was at about 75% now. Hikaru's was still completely full. I kept striking at him, hoping to get a couple hits off before he used another sword skill.

"Quadruple Pain!" My rapier glowed blue and I sliced and thrusted at him four times, hitting him twice. A smirk appeared on his face.

"Phantom Strike!" His sword glowed purple. I knew I had to get out of the way. I tried dodging it, but Hikaru hadn't done anything yet. As I tried to recover from my dodge Hikaru lunged at me, slicing through me ten times before sheathing his sword. My HP was still green but just barely. I guessed I had about one more hit before I lost. I looked up and Hikaru was standing at the very edge of the clearing. I got up and ran at him.

"Shining Thrust!" My rapier glowed yellow as I charged at him. When I thrusted at him, though, he swung his sword upward, sending my rapier flying into the air. A strong wind hit me and his sword was about half a millimeter from my glabella, just like back at the inn room where he caught me for eaves dropping. I also noticed at cut right below my left eye. It dealt one damage and my HP gauge turned yellow.

"Check mate," Hikaru said, "I win." The duel screen appeared next to us, Hikaru's name highlighted in yellow. The crowd cheered. Hikaru sheathed his sword. "That really took me back Ai, I almost shed a tear. Thanks for that."

"No problem, I'm glad I could help." I sheathed my rapier.

"You know, that thing about leaving our party is still on the table. If you want you can-"

"I'm staying," I said, cutting him off.

"You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! I don't want to leave you guys; I want to stay with you to the end. Besides, I have no one to rely one except you."

"Alright then. Also, thanks for being honest with me. You really have no idea how happy it makes me knowing I have my best friend back." We raised our hands in unison and shared a heartfelt high five. To this day, that was probably the best day of my life.

END OF CHAPTER XXIII


	24. Chapter 24

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XXIV

POV: Hikaru

November 7, 2024

Yesterday was the two year anniversary of the beginning of the death game known as Sword Art Online, and we still had twenty-five floors left. If I had to spend much longer in this damn game I would go mad. Anyway, Kimi was telling me that they had found the boss room. I had just reached level 100, so I thought it would be a good idea to try my hand at this boss. I was a little skeptical about bringing my friends with me though, because apparently it had already wiped out the Recon Team at the front lines. That's ten players, ten more people that won't see the real world again. And they barely made a scratch on the thing. Kimi and I were talking about the boss. We had married in game yesterday, and I didn't want it to end so soon. Remember, if she died, she would be dead in the real world too. That was a risk I wasn't willing to take, for any of them.

"Hey Kimi, there's something I need to ask you," I said.

"What is it?" she replied.

"If you don't mind, could you stay here for the fight? I don't want to lose you." It went silent for a couple seconds. Then Kimi walked over to me.

"You want me to stay here, doing nothing, as you go off and fight a monster that's already killed ten people?" she asked in a stern voice. "Do you know what would happen if you never came back?" I looked up and she had an angry expression on her face. "I would kill myself… If I can't see you in the real world when I get out, then there's no point in getting out in the first place. And if we're all in hospitals barely being kept alive by machines then our time here is limited anyway. So, with all that in place, what's the point in living?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset," I said as I looked back to the floor. "I can't help but worry about what would happen if I lost you. I know that the past two years have just been a blur of ones and zeros, but they've meant something to me, and I never want to let it go."

"I don't want it to end either, which is why I'm going on that boss raid and you can't stop me."

"I understand. Well, if we're going then we better get going, the meeting's in five minutes." We arrived at the meeting area soon after, where Rei, Shika, Akuma, and Ai had been waiting for us. Heathcliff showed up about a minute after we all got there and opened a corridor to where the boss room was found. Everyone that was gathered at the meeting area (about thirty players if I had to estimate) stepped through it. The gate was a giant red door with bas relief skeletons carved into it. I looked over and saw Kimi's hand shaking. She was clearly nervous. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. "Don't worry; as long as you stick with me I'll protect you." She smiled and nodded. The gates opened and my hand reached for the Moonstone Medal that was in my pocket. The whole group rushed into the room, weapons drawn. But, to everyone's surprise, the room was empty and silent. We all gathered in the center of the room. A couple people were murmuring.

"Where is it? It could be anywhere!" I heard someone say. About thirty seconds went by and still nothing was happening. I listened very closely to see if I could hear it breathing. Sure enough, I could hear a hissing sound, but I couldn't pick out where it was coming from. It seemed to come from all around me. Then something in me snapped and I looked up. On the ceiling, curled up into what could only be described as a near sleeping position, waiting for the perfect time to strike, was the boss. It roared as it leapt off the ceiling.

"It's on the ceiling! Everyone scatter!" I shouted. Everyone ran to the edge of the room but, as it landed, the boss swung its scythe-like arms in front of it, killing two people instantly. "That was one hit…" I whispered to myself. Now I could take a good look at the boss. It was shaped like a serpent but with no skin. It had many legs running down its body. It had two arms, each with a giant scythe making up about half of its length. It had two sets of red eyes and two jaws staked on top of each other. I looked above its head. It was level 90, it had five health bars, and its name was "The Skull Reaper." It roared and rushed to the edge of the room where it slashed at another player who had charged at the boss. He was sent flying backward and exploded into blue triangles. He had already killed three players. I rushed toward the boss, throwing the Moonstone Medal to the ground. I transformed and used the Demonic Dragon's Claw to make the boss bleed. It turned to me so fast I had little to no time to react to its attack. It took away about a fifth of my health. I had four more hits. "Kimi, switch!" I shouted to Kimi who wasn't far behind me.

"Cyclone slash!" Kimi's dagger glowed green and she landed another hit on the boss. I looked at its health bar and saw that it was barely affected. The boss recoiled and scrapped its scythe along the edge of the room. Most of the players dodged the attack but I still saw about four people explode into shards. Seven people were dead because of this thing.

"Grand Phantom Strike!" I slashed through the boss about thirty times and sheathed my sword. The first health bar went down a little bit.

"Holy Slash!" I heard someone shout behind me. I looked back to see Heathcliff, his sword glowing with an intense blue light. He slashed at the boss and knocked it to the ground. It tried to slash at him but Heathcliff held his shield in front of him fast enough to block it. This went on for about another thirty minutes, players frantically slashing at the boss, the boss frantically slashing at players. Several more players died though. Once the boss' last HP gauge was red Heathcliff gave an order. "Everyone, ATTACK!" The boss was surrounded with players. Swords, katanas, rapiers, axes, hammers, and maces glowed with a multitude of colors, all of them swinging at the boss. Eventually, it went limp and exploded into blue triangles. The whole crowd cheered and collapsed almost at the same time. The room went dark and everyone sat on the floor, panting. About two minutes went by before anyone said anything.

"How many did we lose?" I heard Rei ask. I opened my menu and looked at the mass party list. The number of deaths was so ludicrous I almost fainted as I read it aloud.

"Fourteen of us died…" I replied. I heard several gasps around the room.

"Fourteen… And we still have twenty-five floors to go…" Akuma said.

"Oh my God…" Ai murmured.

"Hikaru, can we last that long?" Kimi asked, leaning against me. Last I checked there were about six thousand players that were still alive. Fourteen died here, so at our current strength, very few players would actually make it out. Then I realized something. Among the sixteen other players here, one of them was not sitting down or breathing heavily. That player was standing at the front of the room, his sword sheathed in the scabbard he had behind his shield.

It was Heathcliff. He looked up at the gate to floor 76 with a completely composed expression, completely unfazed by the fact that fourteen people were confirmed to be dead. Then I remembered my sword lying on the ground next to me. Now was my chance to test my theory. I grasped the Lun Reaper and pocketed the Moonstone Medal (which materialized in my hand after the fight ended). Kimi noticed that I was restless.

"Hikaru? Is something wrong?" she asked. I didn't say a word. Instead, I lifted the sword off the ground, got up, and ran as fast as my virtual legs could carry me over to Heathcliff. I thrusted my sword at him, causing him to flinch, but he didn't have enough time to raise his shield. A purple hexagon appeared at the tip of the blade as it was about to strike Heathcliff. I stepped back and took a long look at the purple sign above Heathcliff's head. "Immortal Object" it said. Kimi ran up to me. "Hikaru, what's… Huh?" She looked confused as she saw the sign, as did everyone who was not looking at Heathcliff.

"Just as I thought," I said as I sheathed my sword, "It was all too obvious." I paused to make sure everyone's attention was directed toward me and Heathcliff. "You know, ever since this game started I've been wondering something: Where exactly is the Game Master keeping an eye on us from? He couldn't let the players just go on with their lives as they were trapped in this world he created. He started out by just watching us via live video feeds, but something happened to him. He realized basic psychology so instinctive even little kids know it; there's nothing more boring than watching someone ELSE play an RPG. But if that was what the GM was doing, how long would it take for him to snap? A week? A month? What do you think… Akihiko Kayaba?" As soon as I outed Heathcliff for being Kayaba, everyone in the room gasped. Heathcliff looked to me.

"For my curiosity's sake, could you tell me how you figured it out?" he asked.

"It was quite simple," I replied, "The first time I noticed something was off was two years ago on floor 1, where you seemed to not give a damn that I was a Beta tester. Any normal player would have thrown me out the front door. Second, that last attack you pulled during our duel. That move was way too fast it was clearly achieved through means not attainable through normal means in the game. Lastly, your reputation for never allowing your HP gauge to turn yellow. That's a huge red flag, even for the strongest player in the game."

"You're right, I was foolish to think it would go unnoticed. That attack you used during our duel was just so fast I had to initiate the game's assist mode." He looked around to make sure everyone could hear him. "Yes, I am Akihiko Kayaba." Everyone gasped. "It should come as no surprise that I am the final boss on the floor 100."

"So the strongest player in the game ends up being the final boss. I thought the main goal of making a game was to avoid overused clichés."

"Well, I wanted to have the players earn their right to go back to the real world. You know, transformation is a rare skill, given only to the player with the fasted reaction time and, most of all, a seemingly uncontrollable desire to get multiple people back to the real world from the very beginning. And I always imagined that you would be the one and only player standing before me at the top of Aincrad. That, Hikaru, is the reason you have it." I heard someone stand up behind Kayaba.

"Our loyalty… Our hope! How dare you… How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!?" He jumped into the air, his sword raised above his head. Kayaba opened his menu and pressed a button. The player glowed yellow and fell to the ground, a yellow lightning bolt next to his health bar. He was paralyzed. He pressed a few more buttons and, one by one, everyone in the room was paralyzed. Kimi glowed yellow as she stood next to me.

"Hikaru… What is he… doing?" she asked as she fell to the ground.

"What are you doing now Kayaba? Are you going to kill everyone here and cover it up? Are you really that sadistic?!" I demanded.

"Of course not! That wouldn't be sporting of me, now would it? No, I have a better idea. I'm going to head for the top floor and wait for all of you there. I'll be inside the Ruby Palace. It's a shame I have to leave you all so soon, I've spent lots of time developing the Knights of the Blood Oath and other elite players… Oh well, you're all strong so I'm sure you'll reach me… eventually. But before I go…" He lifted his sword and shield and brought it down in front of him. "Hikaru, I feel you deserve some kind of reward for discovering my identity, so I'll give you a chance."

"A chance at what?" I asked

"To fight me one on one, right here, right now. Oh and, my Immortality will be deactivated. Defeat me and you clear the game and all of the players will be able to log out from this world, no strings attached. What do you say?" Kimi looked up.

"Don't do it, Hikaru. If you lose he'll kill you, let's just withdraw," she said. I thought back to all the people I had seen die. Akira, Diabel, Corbatz, the Laughing Coffin member I killed, Kimi almost died, fourteen other people died during this boss battle. I looked down at Kimi.

"I… I have to…" I said. "If it means getting you and everyone out of here, then I have to do it…"

"Don't die, you hear me?" Kimi said. I nodded and laid her down gently. I walked up to Kayaba, drawing my sword and getting out the Moonstone Medal. I could hear people yelling at me all around the room. "Hikaru, no!" "Don't do it!" "It's a trick!" One voice stood out to me.

"Hikaru, don't do it!" I looked over and it was Akuma.

"Akuma, I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner. If I had, maybe you would have been better off," I said to him.

"No, Hikaru." His eyes filled with tears, "Don't apologize. I won't accept it. I won't accept it until we're on the other side and you're buying me dinner, God dammit!"

"Sure thing, see you on the other side." I turned to Shika. "Shika, make sure my brother knows what happens to me, whether I beat him or not."

"I'll tell Hataika everything… I'll tell him how much of a badass you were even when everything seemed hopeless…" she said.

"Thanks," I looked at Ai. "Ai, I'm glad we got our little conflict resolved. Forget about Matsuyama and have a good time in Kyoto."

"Don't talk to me like that! You're going to live! You have too! There's so much I haven't gotten to say yet!"

"I'm looking forward to hearing it." I looked to Rei. "I'm glad you and I could share this experience. These past two years wouldn't have been what they are if you weren't here."

"Dammit Hikaru! You'll make it out! You have to make it out! Everyone misses you!"

"I'm sure they do." I turned to Kimi. She looked at me with those beautiful green eyes, soaked in tears. I didn't say anything. Instead, I turned to Kayaba. "Kayaba, I have one thing I'd like you to do for me."

"What is it?" he asked.

"I don't plan on going down without a fight. But, if I die today, I want you to make sure Kimi can't kill herself." Kayaba looked surprised, but that expression was replaced with a smirk.

"Very well, then," he said.

"Hikaru, no!" Kimi shouted. "That's not fair! You can't do that, it's not fair!" I turned to her and looked deep into her eyes.

"I'm sorry… but you need to get out…" I said. I turned back to Kayaba, who opened his menu. He reduced his HP gauge to be equal to mine and disabled his Immortality. Then he drew his sword. A screen appeared in front of me.

Will you accept this duel request?

Opponent: Heathcliff

Type: 1 vs. 1

I pressed the O but instead of clicking "First Strike Mode" like always, I clicked "Total Loss Mode." The duel will only end when someone's HP reached 0.

The duel began and I threw the Medal to the ground, transforming into the Midnight Reaper. I charged, full speed ahead, at Kayaba. I slashed at him, each strike hit his shield. He slashed at me and I deflected it. I slashed a couple more times and landed one hit. His HP gauge turned red. I knew I couldn't use any sword skill because he created the game and the skills. He knew their combos and could deflect anything I tried throwing at him. I kept slashing, my shots being deflected time after time. Then, Kayaba dodged one of my attacks and thrusted his sword at me. I jumped up and kicked off his shield, sending myself backward. When I landed, however, I noticed that Kayaba had made a cut on my check. I don't know why I did it, but I shouted "Moonlight Gash" and charged at Kayaba. I slashed with my enlarged sword, each attack being blocked by his shield. I jumped back and lunged at Kayaba. As I was about to bring my sword down on his shield, knowing I was done for, I whispered to myself. "I'm sorry, Kimi… Please, you have to get out…" I swung my sword down and Kayaba swung his sword upward so fast that the Lun Reaper was knocked out of my hand. I heard it as a metallic clang sounded and Kayaba's sword glowed red.

"Game over, Hikaru, I win." He swung his sword at me, sending me flying backward. I watched as my health bar went down slowly.

POV: Kimi

November 7, 2024

"NO!" I shouted as I watched Hikaru fall to the ground. I got up, my paralysis somehow cured, and I ran over to him. I knelt next to him as I watched his health bar slowly descend. "Stop going down. Stop going down!" I shouted over and over again. Finally, the tiny red sliver of health disappeared. The gauge dispersed and two beeps sounded.

"I'm sorry…" Hikaru said as he turned his head towards me. "I'm glad I died trying to get you out…"

"Don't say that, you're not going to die!" I said back to him.

"Don't deny it, Kimi. It's over. Please, I need you to get out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere if I can't be with you…"

"I'm sorry, but I have to go now." He started to glow with an intense blue light.

"No, don't say that. You're not going to die. You won't die! You can't-" Before I could finish my thought, Hikaru exploded into a thousand blue triangles, each one feeling like a dagger stabbing at my heart. "Die… No…" I whispered to myself. "NOOOOOOO!"

END OF CHAPTER XXIV


	25. Chapter 25

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XXV

POV: Kimi

November 7, 2024

I starred at the ground for what felt like an eternity. I couldn't believe that he was dead, and I would never see him again. I looked over and I saw the Lun Reaper lying on the ground, the writing on the blade almost completely faded. Slowly, I reached for it and grasped the handle and tried to pick it up. It was so heavy I found myself surprised that Hikaru could swing it around with ease. As I stood up I could hear Kayaba walking up the stairs to the gate. I turned to him.

"Kayaba! Get back here right now!" I shouted as loud as I could. He turned around.

"Sorry, but you heard Hikaru. I'm to make sure you can't kill yourself. Therefore, I'm also not allowed to fight you," he replied.

"I don't give a damn what Hikaru said! I'm finishing what he started!"

"Oh please, like you would be able to even scratch me." I lunged at him and tried to hit him with Hikaru's sword, but Kayaba blocked it and knocked me back. "Alright, if that's the way it's going to be, I'm not going to stop you." He plunged his sword through me faster than I could blink. I saw my health bar depleting very slowly. I looked at his health bar; it was red and about three centimeters away from hitting 0. In other words, it was lower than mine. I lifted the Lun Reaper slowly. "Why are you struggling? It's not like you'd be able to hurt me when that thing is so heavy." I ignored him and pointed the end of the sword at his chest.

"I'm sick of your crap, Kayaba. Hikaru told me to get out… And that's exactly what I'm going to do!" I plunged the Lun Reaper into Kayaba's chest, his health bar depleting. Two beeps sounded as my HP also hit 0. I looked down at Hikaru's sword. "You did it, Mizuki… You cleared the game…" I whispered. The white stone glistened as my health bar dissolved and I closed my eyes. Everything went white.

When I came to, I was standing on a completely transparent platform in the sky, the sun setting in the distance. Was I dead? I looked down. I was still in my equipment in SAO. I swung my hand downward and the menu opened up. The loading circle was on the screen with a number inside it going up. 55%... 56%... 57%... Above the Circle were the words "Initializing Final Phase." I closed the menu. So was I alive then? If so, why? If I can't see him anymore, then I don't want to be. I looked down as a tear rolled down my cheek…

"Didn't I tell you not to get killed?" I heard someone ask behind me. I didn't really care about what the voice said, I was more interested in who the voice belonged to. Of course, I knew who it was before I turned around and saw Hikaru. "Hey Kimi," he said.

"Hikaru… You're still alive?" I asked in disbelief.

"I don't know how or why, but think so."

"Yes! Thank God!" I ran over to him and threw my arms around him. "Don't scare me like that!" I demanded.

"Sure thing."

POV: Hikaru

November 7, 2024

"Where are we?" Kimi asked.

"I don't know for sure, but I have a pretty good idea. Look down there." I pointed down to the point of interest. Below us was Aincrad, falling apart from the bottom up, each chunk that fell off turning yellow and dissolving. We starred at it for a couple minutes.

"Stunning view, isn't it…?" We heard someone ask. I looked to my right and I saw a man in a white lab coat and brown hair. I knew who it was, despite the differences between how me looks in the real world and his SAO avatar.

"Akihiko Kayaba…" I whispered.

"At Argus Headquarters," he began, "The SAO Mainframe is in a room five floors below street level, and right now it's deleting all the data from its drives… In about ten minutes, everything in this world will disappear forever."

"What about the players?" Kimi asked.

"You don't have to worry about them. The 6,147 players who survived the game up to now were logged out a few seconds ago."

"And what about the other 3,853 players that died? What happened to them?" I asked.

"They'll never return… In any world, real or virtual, once you're dead, you're gone…"

"Why? Why would you do this?"

"That's a good question… It's been so long I've forgotten the reason. Isn't that strange…?" He looked up to some dragon-like creatures flying away. "Even before I developed a system for the full-dive environment I dreamed of this, a castle in a world that wasn't governed my earthly laws and restrictions. I poured my life into making that world a reality. I created this world, and I got to see something that surpassed anything I could've imagined for it. My steel castle… Floating in the sky… I don't remember how old I was when I became obsessed with it. I wanted to leave the Earth, to fly to that castle. I wanted that more than anything else, for as long as I can remember… You know what, Hikaru? I want to believe it's still out there, that somewhere in some other world my castle is still standing, taller than ever…" I was silent for a couple seconds.

"Yeah… Maybe it still is," I replied.

"Before I forget, congratulations on clearing the game, Hikaru, Kimi." He looked over to us. "Well then, I should probably get going." He turned around and walked away. As he got farther away I saw him turn to dust and blow away into the wind. Kimi and I sat at the edge of the platform we were standing on.

"I wonder if we're going to die after this," I said.

"If you do, I hope I can join you. I don't want to have to live in a world without you, it would be too empty," she responded.

"Thanks, but it would be nice to know if my life is going to end within the next couple seconds." Kimi giggled.

"Yeah, it really would… Hey Hikaru?"

"What is it?"

"Do you think that there are any other VRMMO's, or do you think they've been completely removed from the market?"

"I don't know, it's possible that the genre will go through some complications before they're back on the shelves. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Yeah… I think we're leaving soon." I looked down and saw the last tiny bits of Aincrad falling apart and disappearing.

"Yeah, I think so too. Well I'll see you one the other side."

"Right, bye for now." Kimi hugged me as a flash of white filled my vision, only for it to all go black. I tried opening my eyes, and when I did I was on a bed in a hospital room, the Nerve Gear still on my head. I looked around. No one was here. I slowly reached up and took the helmet off and placed it on the table next to the bed. Then I heard the door open and close. A girl with dark hair and a vase full of flowers walked in. When she saw that I was awake, her jaw dropped.

"Mizuki?" she questioned. It was Kiyomi Yuuki, the middle child in the Yuuki family, and Kimi's older sister.

"Kiyomi!" I sat up quickly, but when I did, my head exploded in pain and every muscle in my body burned. I fell backward.

"Don't move!" Kiyomi demanded. She ran over to the table and set the vase down on it. She picked up the phone and dialed a number. The phone rang a couple times. "Hello? Mrs. Hatsumode?... No, nothing's wrong. It's your son, he's awake!" With my head still hurting, I sat up slowly and tried to get out of the bed. Kiyomi stopped me. "You need to rest. You can do whatever you want when you're released."

"I… can't wait… that long…" I said, barely able to speak. "I have… to do it… now…"

"Sorry, I'll have to call you back," she said into the phone and hung up. "What are you trying to do that's so important?"

"I have… to see Kimi… Please… take me… to her…" She raised her eyebrows but eventually she nodded.

"I'll take you to her when you can walk. For now, you have to rest." She gently pushed me down onto the bed. I realized that I wasn't going to convince her to let me go, so I just lay back down.

"Kimi…" I whispered. "I swear… I'll find you…"

END OF CHAPTER XXV


	26. Chapter 26

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XXVI

POV: Kiyomi

January 19, 2025

I remember the day Kimi locked herself in her room and presumably used the Nerve Gear. Later that day, an urgent news report aired:

 _"If you have a friend or loved one currently in possession of a Nerve Gear, it is imperative that you listen to this report. The only game compatible for the Nerve Gear at the moment is Sword Art Online, abbreviated SAO. Akihiko Kayaba, the game's creator, has confirmed that all ten thousand players that logged onto SAO today are unable to log out. If they die in the game, they will die in real life as well. Likewise, if you attempt to remove the Nerve Gear while it is in use, the person will also die. Kayaba is allowing a two hour window in which players may go offline safely. This period is when you should move the person to a hospital and put them on life support. This period begins at six o'clock tonight. Use it wisely. Lastly, Kayaba has gone missing, presumably in hiding. If you know anything as to his whereabouts, please contact the police as soon as possible. Best of luck to all of the SAO players."_

Now, two years later, another news report was found urgent:

 _"We return to the case of Akihiko Kayaba's whereabouts. The VRMMORPG, Sword Art Online, was completed November 7, 2024. Kayaba was found dead shortly after this event in a bunker five floors below Argus headquarters with a Nerve Gear on his head. When the helmet was removed his brain had been destroyed by the Nerve Gear's microwave transmitter, but autopsy reports state that he was dead long before the police showed up. The running theory is that he committed suicide by commanded the Nerve Gear to kill him after SAO was completed, though we don't know what happened exactly."_

That report aired yesterday. I thought about all this as I practiced at the Kendo Dojo I visit every other day. After about an hour I decided to finish up, but as I sheathed the shinai and walked out the door to the lobby, I was startled by someone sitting against the wall next to the door.

"Morning Kiyomi," he said. It was Mizuki Hatsumode. I heard that he often went by a different name, but I can't remember what what it was.

"Oh, Mizuki! What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I was just watching you practice. You've gotten really good since the last time I saw you in a match."

"Well, unlike you, I have better things to do than sleep for two years while getting high on binary code. Don't even pretend like that's not what you were doing."

"I know that's what I was doing. I'm just glad you know what binary code is." Smartass.

"Anyway, why were you so interested in watching me practice? I thought you hated Kendo."

"I wanted to get out for a while. I have a lot of catching up to do with all my friends that weren't stuck in SAO with me."

"That makes sense… Hey, if you're not busy later, do you want to hang out and do some catching up with me?"

"That sounds nice, but I have to go somewhere today."

"Oh, okay. Maybe later?"

"Yeah, I'd like that." As I opened the door that led outside, I thought of another question.

"Where are you going later?"

"Oh, you know, the hospital."

"You go there a lot. Who are you visiting?"

"Your sister." When he said that, he looked down and shifted his head away from me.

"Right… Well if you ever need anything, you know where to find me."

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later."

"Wait!"

"What is it?"

"I, umm… When you were in SAO, I really missed you…" Mizuki smiled at that.

"I missed you too." He got up and walked out of the building. "See you later, Kiyomi." With that, he walked down the sidewalk and turned right at the corner. Dammit, I screwed it up again…

POV: Hikaru

January 19, 2025

I entered the hospital and proceeded to the elevator. As it went up, I thought of the events causing me to visit the hospital every five minutes. After SAO was cleared most of the remaining players woke up normally. Unfortunately, due to causes unknown, about three hundred players, including Kimi, didn't wake up. They're all still alive though, we just don't know how to wake them up. I was sitting at the side of Kimi's hospital bed for about ten minutes before someone else walked in. It was a man carrying a vase of flowers, much like Kiyomi did the day I woke up. I recognized him as Kimi and Kiyomi's father, Shouzou Yuuki.

"Oh, Mizuki, good afternoon," he said.

"Afternoon, Mr. Yuuki," I replied, standing up.

"Thank you for visiting Kimi. She'll be glad to know you care about her so much."

"Your daughter and I spent a lot of time in SAO. Let's just say we grew pretty close." About ten seconds later I heard more footsteps behind me.

"Sir, there's something I need to discuss with you." One look at this new guy and I immediately decided I wasn't going to like him. His hair was slick and short. He wore glasses and a business suit with a red tie. He was dressed way too formally to not be up to something. If you think that's paranoia, wait a little bit.

"Oh, Mizuki, I'd like you to meet Sugou. He's a friend of my family and an entrepreneur." Mr. Yuuki said.

"I'm Nobuyuki Sugou. It's a pleasure," Sugou said.

"I'm Mizuki Hatsumode," I said.

"No way! You're Hikaru!"

"I'm sorry?"

"You single handedly cleared SAO and freed the remaining players from Kayaba's trap. You're a hero!"

"That's very flattering, but I didn't do it all by myself. I had help."

"Regardless, it's nice to meet you. Anyway, sir," he turned to Mr. Yuuki, "I'd like to make it official as soon as possible."

"Oh, right," Mr. Yuuki said, slightly looking down, "Are you sure you want to do this? You're both still young. You have your whole life ahead of you."

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life," Sugou replied, looking at Kimi, "I've always wanted to see her in that wedding dress." My heart skipped a beat and something snapped in my mind. Mr. Yuuki looked down at his watch.

"I have a meeting to go to. We'll discuss this later, Sugou. Mizuki, take care," he said. There were a couple seconds of awkward silence before Sugou said anything.

"I heard you and Kimi were lovers in the game…" he said.

"And?" I asked.

"I'd like to confirm it, so were you or not?"

"What if we were?"

"Ah, so it's true. Shame, that's going to make for a difficult relationship between you and me. If you didn't get it the first time, I plan on marrying-"

"I know… I'm a lot smarter than I look."

"That makes this a lot simpler." He walked over to the side of the bed opposite to me. "To tell you the truth, she's hated me ever since we were kids. In fact, if I were to ask her while she was conscious, I'm sure she'd say no and throw something in my face. By the way, did I mention that I work for a company where Kimi's father is the CEO? His partner is my father, and he considers me part of his family, to the point of considering adoption."

"Excuse my rudeness, Mr. Sugou, but to be honest I don't really care."

"I know you probably don't care, I'm just rubbing it in."

"You sadistic bastard…"

"What did you just call me?"

"I think you heard me, I said you were a sadistic bastard."

"You better watch your mouth, you little brat. You should really show more respect toward the one keeping your failed love alive."

"What are you talking about?"

"You remember Argus right?"

"That's the company that created Nerve Gear and SAO. I heard it was shut down."

"Good job. Truth is, the maintenance of the SAO servers was given to another company; RECT Progress. That, Mizuki, is the company I referred to earlier. I work in the full dive technology RND division. In other words, I'm the one keeping Kimi alive. Now, is it wrong for me to expect a little compensation for my trouble?" He walked to the curtain separating the door to the hallway and the bed. "I don't know what promises you two made in the game and I don't really care, but I don't ever want to see you here again. And from now on, stay away from the Yuuki family. The ceremony is on January 26, a week from now. Save the date. Even though you're not welcome here anymore you should come to the wedding. No need to thank me." He opened the door but didn't walk outside. "Well mister hero, you've got the room all to yourself now. Say goodbye and get out." With that, he walked out the door and closed it behind him. All I could think of to do was grasp Kimi's hand.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered.

END OF CHAPTER XXVI


	27. Chapter 27

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XXVII

POV: Kiyomi

January 19, 2025

Later that day I saw Mizuki in the lobby at our apartment building. I greeted him but he didn't answer, he just looked down and walked up the stairs. I followed him.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, reaching out to touch his shoulder. He grabbed my hand, mouthed the word "sorry", and dropped it. He left me so stunned I couldn't bring myself to follow him as he walked up the stairs. That night I looked over at my phone. I wonder if he'll talk to me if I text him. I grabbed it and texted him "Are you okay?" Ten minutes passed without any response. I texted him again, "Please talk to me." This time he responded.

"I'm fine." He wasn't fine.

"No you're not."

"…" He sends ellipses when he either doesn't want to talk or doesn't know what to say.

"Just tell me what happened at the hospital."

"It's not important."

"Yes it is."

"Why don't you just ask Sugou?" How did he know who Sugou was?

"No, you can talk to me. What did he do?"

"Sorry, but I can't tell you."

"Yes you can."

"You don't understand. Look, I have to go."

"Alright… Talk to you later?"

"I wouldn't count on it."

He must've seen Sugou at the hospital. He's always been an asshole, not to mention a total pervert, so he must've said something about him or someone he cares about. It was probably Kimi since she was in the room with them and likely the topic of conversation. I was too tired to think about this anymore today. I turned out the lights and fell asleep.

POV: Kimi

January 19, 2025

About a month and a half ago SAO was cleared, though when I expected to wake up in the real world I woke up in what looked like a giant bird cage. Every day since then I've been trying to find a way out. Where was I? Why was I here? Am I dead? Today was the first day I saw another person. Though, it was someone I really didn't want to see. He had blond hair, pointed ears, and green butterfly wings. Was he some kind of fairy? Now I'm positive I was dead. He opened the door to the cage and stepped inside.

"Sorry I couldn't be here sooner. RECT has been keeping me rather busy."

"Who are you? And Where am I? And Why am I here?"

"So many questions. How about I let you guess?"

"Guess what?"

"It doesn't really matter to me. Any of those questions I guess."

"Alright… Any clues as to who YOU might be?"

"Let's see… You've known me your whole life."

"Need more."

"I'm close to your father."

"My father is a very popular man."

"You've always hated me."

"Dammit Sugou! What the hell do you want?"

"Actually, in this world I'm called Oberon the Fairy King. And I just wanted to see you without being interrupted."

"I demand you get me out of here. I have something I need to do in the real world."

"Does it have anything to do with the 'Hero of Aincrad?'"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Mizuki. But you probably know him as Hikaru. I met him earlier today, in your hospital room, in the real world."

"If you did anything to him I will… Wait, the real world? Does that mean…"

"Yes, Kimi, you're in another VRMMO. ALfheim Online, it's called."

"Why am I here?"

"As you know, you and I are getting married on the 26th. I heard you got a new lover in SAO and I didn't want him to take you away from me."

"Bullshit, we are not getting married. Let me out of here."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. If I did, I'd have to let all the others go too."

"You mean, there are others that haven't woken up yet?"

"About three hundred players are still unconscious."

"What are you doing to them?"

"What an excellent question. You see, I've been working on something very big for the past couple months. A loophole in the security of the Nerve Gear. Right now, in this world, tens of thousands of players are enjoying this game, but none of them have a clue about the true potential of the full dive system."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about a way to expand the control regions of the brain. If one could do this they could influence a person's thoughts, memories, and even their emotions."

"That's what you've been doing? Technology like that is illegal! As soon as I wake up I'm turning you in."

"Actually, several other countries are researching the same thing as we speak. The only thing standing in the way is finding people to experiment on. But, one day, I was watching the news, and there they were. Six thousand ideal guinea pigs! Mr. Kayaba was a genius, but he was also a fool. All he wanted to use his technology for was his game. He couldn't see the potential in it. But I did. It wasn't too difficult to adjust the routers. The minute SAO's were players logged out I just grabbed a few from the flow. Just like that, I had three hundred of my very own test subjects. My research has taken great strides the past two months, I've been developing a technology that seeds memories with objects and uses them to control emotion. My work is almost finished now."

"My father would never allow research like that!"

"Of course he wouldn't! That's why it's being done in secret, just a small team and myself, otherwise I wouldn't be able to sell it off."

"To who?"

"An American corporation. You won't believe how anxious they are to get their hands on it. And soon I'm going to sell it and RECT to them for as much as I can."

"That's not going to happen. I'll make sure of it."

"Is that so? I guess now would be a good time to tell you that you're in the same boat as the other guinea pigs. If I wanted, I could alter your memories too."

"No… You wouldn't."

"You want to bet?" If he could alter my memories, he could make me forget all about two years ago, about SAO, and about Hikaru. I don't want to forget any of that, too much happened in the SAO server. Just then, an icon with a cell phone tower on it appeared in front of Sugou. He tapped it and held it. "I'm on the way, wait for my orders." He let go of the icon and it disappeared. "Don't worry, the last thing I'd ever want to do is turn you into a porcelain doll. But, the next time we meet, I hope you'll be… just a bit more submissive." With that, he walked over to the door, pressed a code into the key pad next to it, and the door opened. "Farewell my love!" he said as he walked away, the door closing behind him. I tried to make out the code he had entered, but when I looked at it the pad was blurred so I couldn't see it.

"Hikaru…" I whispered to myself, "Please, save me…"

END OF CHAPTER XXVIII


	28. Chapter 28

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XXVIII

POV: Hikaru

January 20, 2025

Yesterday I got a pretty interesting email from Akuma containing some odd pictures. Today I'm meeting him at the bar where he works to talk to him about them. I walked into the building as Akuma was drying a glass.

"Morning, Hikaru," he greeted, "Here to talk about the pictures?"

"Yeah, I'm curious as to where they came from more than anything," I replied.

"I'll get to that, but first, check this out." He reached into a backpack sitting on a stool in front of him and pulled out a multicolored box and slid it across the counter to where I was seated. I picked it up, knowing full well that it was a VRMMO. On the cover were two figures in armor and translucent wings hovering over their backs. I attempted to pronounce the title.

"'ALfeim Online?'" I asked, pronouncing "ALfeim" alf-aim.

"It's actually pronounced 'alf-hime.' It means 'Land of the Fairies' and it's abbreviated ALO."

"What's this about?"

"This is a VRMMORPG, just like Sword Art Online. There are a number of differences, however. There's magic that the player can use now, as well as a flight engine, so the players can make their avatars sprout wings and fly. Although, the sword skills you get have to be improved manually, meaning you have to use them over and over again to level them up instead of them compensating with the player's stats."

"That sounds interesting, I'd like to try it out. Anyway, where did those pictures come from?"

"I'm getting to that. Those pictures were taken inside the ALfeim Online server." Akuma pulled out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and laid it out on the counter. It was a map of some kind. "This is ALOs overworld, and in the middle of it is the World Tree. The goal of the game is to get to the top of the tree, but you have to clear an incredibly difficult quest to do it. People have tried flying up there, but they end up reaching the altitude limit or running out of flight time. A bunch of people tried getting to the top by piggy-backing on each other and breaking apart like a rocket, but they didn't make it past the lowest branch. They were able to take a picture, and what they saw what interesting to say the least." He put a few pictures on the table. I looked at the one on top. The picture was of the side of a massive tree, and I could make out the figure of a giant bird cage off centered in the frame.

"A bird cage?" I inquired.

"Exactly, and when you zoom in…" He showed me the other pictures, eventually reaching the one of a person that looked a lot like Kimi that he sent me last night.

"So basically what you're saying is Kimi might be in ALO?"

"If my theory is correct, she is in fact trapped in ALO. Now as to why she's there, your guess is as good as mine."

"I see… Do you mind if I borrow this game for a while?"

"Go ahead and keep it, you have more use for it than me."

"Thanks. Oh, and I still need to buy the hardware for it."

"Actually, you can just use a Nerve Gear. It was replaced by the Amushpere but it's basically just a more secure version of the Nerve Gear rig."

"Thanks a lot Akuma, I owe you one."

"No problem!" I walked out of the bar and headed straight to my apartment. I booted up the ALfeim Online disc, and put on my Nerve Gear.

"I'm on my way, Kimi," I whispered before shouting that command I gave two years ago, "Link Start!" Everything went white and a tunnel of colors flew at me. Suddenly, I woke up in a circular room, the words "Welcome to ALfeim Online" floating in front of me. A keyboard soon appeared with a blank text box above it. "Please Enter Your Name" was displayed above it. I reached out and typed out my trademarked avatar name, Hikaru, and pressed enter. A notification appeared in front of me.

 _In ALfeim Online, there are nine races of fairy, each with their own special abilities. When you choose a race, your appearance will be created for you. You will also be teleported to your race's territory. Please select the race you would like to play as._

I scrolled through the options, most of them looking pretty boring. Then I saw one with a long black jacket, long black wings, and a hair style extremely similar to mine. The moment I saw it, I knew that would be my choice. I clicked the select button in front of me and another notification appeared.

 _You have chosen the Spriggan race. This race specializes in Illusion Magic and treasure hunting spells. Are you sure you want to continue?_

I clicked the confirm button.

 _The game will now begin. Welcome to the world of ALfeim Online!_

Everything went white again and I appeared in the sky. I panicked as I plummeted toward the ground, but then everything froze and lightning surrounded me. I was then teleported to a forest, lying next to a river. I got up.

"Where am I?" I whispered to myself, "Wasn't I suppose to be teleported to a town or city?" I tried opening my menu by swinging my hand downward. It opened at I checked the Options tab and gave a sigh of relief as I hovered my finger over the Logout button. I then checked my character stats and noticed something very weird. My character was already level 100. I also had a lot of the same skills I had in SAO. Is this some kind of glitch?

"It's actually not a glitch, this was meant to happen." I looked around but saw no one. Who was talking just now? How did they know what I was thinking? I drew the short sword I was given when I spawned.

"Show yourself!" I demanded. I heard a low twinkling sound.

"No need to get all hostile." The voice came from behind me. I swung around and saw a small girl in a white dress. This was a face I thought I wasn't going to see again.

"Aki? How did you get here?"

END OF CHAPTER XXVIV


	29. Chapter 29

Alpha Phase

Before I begin this story there are a couple things I need to clarify.

I do not own Sword Art Online (ソードアートオンライン), the characters, or the storyline. All rights belong to A-1 Pictures, Aniplex USA, and Reki Kawahara.

The events depicted in this story are not part of the official SAO canon.

I am not profiting from writing this story.

Some of the events or mentioned events are based on some of my real life experiences. If one or more of these events are similar to one of your own it is unintentional and coincidental.

Please support Sword Art Online and its affiliates.

Author's Note: Hi guys! My name is Thomas and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. Now before you yell at me because my character's names suck or my title makes no sense or the story is boring, I will say that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to writing. I have written a short story or two in my time but it still isn't enough for me to really qualify as an "author". So remember, this is my first story, I am more than aware that there are flaws, and I am open to suggestions. So please, feel free to tell me what you think.

Chapter XXIX

POV: Hikaru

January 20, 2025

Aki looked up at me.

"Before SAO was erased, I hid myself in the storage unit of your Nerve Gear to avoid being deleted along with it. It sure has been a while since I've been able to take form inside a game," she said.

"Well I'm glad to see you, but why are you here?" I asked.

"Because I think I can help you find Kimi."

"How did you know that's what I was here for?"

"Did you forget already? I can read thoughts."

"Oh yeah, my bad."

"So, do you want my help or not?"

"In what way can you help me?"

"Let me see…" She closed her eyes for a couple seconds. "In this game, I'm a personal navigation pixie. That means that I can make maps of the surrounding areas." Aki jumped into the air and started to glow. She began shrinking until she was a tiny fairy in a long white dress, hovering above the ground.

"Wow, you'll fit in nicely with the whole fairy theme."

"That's the point of this form. Give me another second." She closed her eyes again. "I'm getting a strange player signature…"

"Where's it coming from?"

"The top of the World Tree… Could it be Kimi? Let me try communicating with it." About thirty seconds passed before Aki opened her eyes again. "No luck. Maybe I could if we were closer to the World Tree."

"Alright then, how do we get there?"

"We fly, of course! Want me to teach you how?"

"Sure, what do I do first?"

"That depends; do you want to do it the easy way or the hard way?"

"Umm… the easy way for now."

"Hold out your hand like you're grabbing something." I raised my hand and pretended to grasp something. A small remote materialized in my hand. "That's what you'll need to start flying."

"How do I use it?"

"Press and hold the button on it to ascend and press it twice and hold it to descend. To steer, you point it in the direction you want to fly. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, let's give it a shot." I pressed the button and wings appeared behind on my back. I held it down and I began going up. I pointed the remote toward the World Tree and I shot forward at an incredibly fast speed. I pulled back on it and I stopped.

"Oops, I forget to mention that your speed depends on how far out you hold the remote. Also, you can only stay airborne for 10 minutes at a time."

"That would've been nice to know before." I pointed the remote forward again and I began flying at a much slower speed than before. I just flew toward the World Tree and let my mind wander. Pretty soon, unfortunately, my 10 minutes were up and I started plummeting to the ground. I crashed into a tree and got up, my head throbbing. "Aki, why didn't you tell me that my time was almost up?"

"Sorry, I guess my mind was wondering too," she replied

"You don't have a mind, you're a program!"

"How rude! I can still think! And don't yell, I think there are players near…" I looked around the tree I had crashed into and sure enough there were three players in red armor, two on the ground and one in the air, pointing their weapons at a girl with light green hair that was backed up against a tree. The girl had an angry look in her eyes. I also noticed a light blue fire on the other side of the players.

"Should I intervene?" I asked Aki.

"I would advise against it."

"Alright then." I stepped out from behind the tree and attempted talking to the players. "Three players against one? That's hardly a fair fight," I said. The players looked at me as if I was stupid. One of the red players responded.

"Get out of here, noob! This is no place for a beginner," he said.

"Is that so? Then why don't you leave this girl alone and be on your way."

"Do you want to start a fight too? I'd happily kick your ass if that's what you want!"

"By all means, kick whatever you want." I grasped my sword and dashed through the player that was talking to me. He burst into flames and turned into a red ball of fire. I walked toward the second player who pointed a spear at me. I hit it out of the way and stabbed him. He also turned into a ball of fire. The player in the air looked down at me with a surprised look. "You want to fight, too?"

"No thanks, my flying time is almost through. Yoko, we'll finish this later." With that, he flew away, leaving me and this mysterious green girl who I assumed was Yoko. I turned to her and saw that she had a shocked expression on her face.

"You okay?" I asked her. She motioned for me to be quiet. When all the red balls of fire dispersed she began to speak.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks," she replied.

"No problem."

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Kill those players with one attack?"

"Oh, uhhh… Don't know. Anyway, I need your help."

"Okay, I guess I owe you for taking care of those guys. What do you need help with?"

"I need to get to a town, preferably close to the World Tree. Can you help me get there?" She looked confused.

"Why do you need to get close to the World Tree?"

"Let's just say I'm looking for someone. Now will you take me or not?"

"Sure, I'll take you there. But, just so you know, the area around the World Tree is home to a lot of powerful monsters. You'll probably want to stay away from there for a while. I'll take you back to a Sylph owned town for now."

"Sounds good to me, but what's a Sylph?"

"You're looking at one. That's the race that I chose. My names Yoko by the way."

"I'm Hikaru, and I'm a Spriggan."

"When we get to town you best stay close to me. Fairies from other races aren't typically allowed in territories of other races. While you're in another race's territory, you can't attack anyone, but they can attack you. You should be safe as long as you're close to me, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. Lead the way."

END OF CHAPTER XXIX


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